Internet giant Google faces a growing list of battles around the world, from tussles in Europe and Australia over fair compensation for media outlets to competition probes on both sides of the Atlantic. What do you think about all this? Has the tech giant gotten out of control?

Don't even get me started on how they use their unique position to manipulate public opinion on all sides... with dopamine-inducing algorithms that convince me that my batsh*t crazy ideas are somehow mainstream, and filter out information or voices (in my prolefeed cookie jar) to the contrary.

We don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are, with Google our Great Accomplice.

Yes, emasculate it and free us from its polarising effects.

Yes.

Agree with commanteer, both posts!

I am assuming all the downvotes are from people who don't actually create anything, and think Google is giving them free stuff?

Agree with commanteer, google's search platform does give you pre-determined suggestions, with some options intentionally placed inconveniently in the next pages of a search. I think this is a common nature of large corporations, they tend to maintain questionable practices because they can get away with it. non-state actors such as multinational corporations will likely be the next target of governments and the UN and thankfully so. Now only if someone could keep governments in check as well.

If I search for something like on Amazon then go to another site, ads from Google from that search start appearing.

You don't even have to search. Just have a conversation while your phone is in your pocket - unless it is powered off. Lack of privacy is the least of it.

Google is also the biggest content thief on the planet. They have put countless small websites out of business by copying their content and running it with Google ads. They highlight sections from popular sites and present them at the top of search results, meaning the reader never actually has to click through to the site.

And don't even get me started on how they use their unique position to manipulate public opinion and filter out information or voices they don't like.

Nah, I like Google.

Yes, completely out of control.