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In the chapter “Where the Internet Lives” from the book Signal Traffic, Jennifer Holt and Patrick Vonderau zero in on the availability and importance of transparency for cloud service providers. Referencing data center photos published by Google, Apple, and Bahnhof AB, Holt and Vonderau state that while these photos may look like a step towards transparency, they continue to conceal “mechanical, electrical, or technical infrastructure design, energy use or network infrastructure” (Holt and Vonderau 74, read full chapter here).
Image of one of Google’s data centers that Holt and Vonderau reference. Source.
This apparent transparency displayed by a few of the tech giants made me start to think about the huge power and responsibility these firms have. While I’m sure it’s a common sentiment, I know that I generally do not consider how the information that I provide to Google or Apple is being used. As a 2014 truthout.org article reports, however, “only the NSA rivals Google in terms of information gathering” (Read full Truth Out article here). Additionally, the article states that a recent study shows that Americans are significantly more worried about companies like Google and Apple than the NSA in terms of how they use information provided to them.
Google’s information gathering capabilities can feel restrictive and dangerous. Source.
Along with collecting significant amounts of data from its users, Google is also known for its political activism in recent years. No company has spent more on lobbying since 2012, and Google funds “about 140 trade associations and other nonprofits across the ideological spectrum” (Truth-Out, article found here). Clearly, Google has significant influence both in the marketplace and in the political sphere. The combination of massive amounts of information and money combined with political power makes a company like Google scary. Without responsible leadership and regulations, firms like Google can be very dangerous, and as Holt and Vonderau point out, simply seeing images of their data centers does not mean that we have any idea how the data we provide is being used.
Posted from Digital Studies 101 Blog by Patrick G.