

Tech needs to decide which master it's going to serve - smacktoward
http://jasonlefkowitz.net/2014/05/tech-needs-to-decide-which-master-its-going-to-serve/

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delluminatus
This isn't only a problem in the tech industry. There has always been a great
interest in controlling people. As technology (in the more general sense of
the term) advances, and as we learn more about humans and how they work, these
mechanisms for control have become more insidious.

My recent favorite example, which I read about in _The Willpower Instinct_ ,
is companies like ScentAir [0] that create "engineered" smells intended to
subconsciously entice people into going into stores or buying products.

[0] [http://www.scentair.com](http://www.scentair.com)

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matthewmacleod
I don't really buy this argument. I do get the point, but:

 _I give up my right to choose my own route_

Is this the case?

 _How long until I find my trips start taking me consistently past businesses
that advertise with Google_

Almost certainly never. It's a possibility, but Google isn't stupid, and they
know the second that they start increasing mileage in order to advertise to
you, the public will say "what the fuck?" and this practice will be driven out
of existence either by market forces or regulation.

 _What if, instead of taking me on a tour of nearby Google advertisers, the
car starts plotting routes for me that take me away from businesses that don’t
advertise with Google?_

As above; it could happen, but it almost certainly won't.

It's worth being aware of this argument when transacting with companies who
are advertising-focused. Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. But it seems less
important with say Amazon or Apple, where you are paying for a product or
service and expect to receive it in a reasonably unbiased fashion.

It's a bit like asking "what if Facebook start blocking all posts mentioning
competitors of their advertisers?" \- it's possible, but unlikely.

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greenyoda
_" Imagine how little a business that gives away its services for free will
care about what I want, compared to what its advertisers or partners or
shareholders want."_

Presumably, if you had a Google self-driving car, you would have had to buy
(or lease) it from Google, so you'd be one of their paying customers.

