Google Tries to Defend Its Web Environment Integrity as Critics Slam It as Dangerous
techreport.com
Google has defended its Web Environment Integrity on the grounds that it aims to make web browsing more private and safe through tokens.

I’m happy to see this being noticed more and more. Google wants to destroy the open web, so it’s a lot at stake.

Google basically says “Trust us”. What a joke.

  • TheHighRoad@lemmy.worldEnglish
    32·
    1 year ago

    What really disturbs me is how the recent tech shenanigans have been a long time coming; seems the internet we have come to know for the last 15 years only existed thanks to the ridiculous interest rates post 2008.

    • Bipta@kbin.social
      12·
      1 year ago

      I’d be interested to hear more of your theory on this:

      the internet we have come to know for the last 15 years only existed thanks to the ridiculous interest rates post 2008.

      • nefarious@kbin.social
        46·
        1 year ago

        I think this article from the Verge explains it pretty well.

        tl;dr:

        • The Fed kept interest rates low from 2008 to 2021. Low interest rates made it easier to borrow money and meant that debt-backed investments like bonds had a low return, so investors favored stocks for a better yield on their investment.
        • This meant tech companies could borrow a ton of money at low interest rates and raise a ton of money from investors through stock sales, allowing them to build services that weren’t profitable in order to grow as rapidly as possible. This basically defined the internet as we know it today - big companies offering free/cheap services with minimal restrictions. Companies could afford to charge low fees and look the other way on things like ad blockers.
        • However, now that interest rates are going up, borrowing is much more expensive and investors are less motivated to buy stock, so all that easy money has dried up. Companies are having to raise revenue by increasing prices, adding more ads, blocking ad blockers, etc.
      • TheHighRoad@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        I’m just a layman, but it has been nagging my brain how all these big tech companies seem to be turning shitty all at once. I’ve seen others propose similar explanations, but the basic idea is that the historically low rates got them addicted to “free” capital. Now the faucet has been slammed shut and they have to make up for the shortfall.

        Also, it’s not just big tech at fault. The massive worldwide inflation we’ve experienced happened for the same reason - shortsighted greed.

        • Nobody@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          1 year ago

          It’s definitely the high interest rates. All of tech has been built on venture capitalist money with “grow at all costs” as the primary strategy. With sustained higher interest rates, VC money is much harder to get. The focus has gone from “grow at all costs” to “become profitable at all costs.” It’s jarring, and it’s happening everywhere at the same time.