"What sinister thing is Google up to?" Topic

Top Secret barges being built in key cities around the globe. What happens when they go "live"?

(Anyone remember "The Silent Planet"?)

Pretty sure they are just data centers. Stuffing computer racks into conex boxes is the new sexy, and cheaper than building a new facility. Maybe they are using the water as a heat sink (shhh, don't tell the EPA).

Search on "data center PODs" for more info.

Maybe they are prepping for a fiber connected network of server farms in international waters. Then the US government and the EPA can't touch them. No more subpoenas for search history and other data. It would make for a nice heat sink as well. You'd have to have a ton of servers to raise the temp of the ocean :)

The best part is then we can bring back the pirate profession and blend the two meanings. So people can cruise up in ships to assault the data centers and steal digital secrets!

Its probably just a way of getting around local Laws as part of the Five Eyes network.

My bad…I meant "The Quiet Earth".

link

Or Colossus, the Forbin Project link

It's a good B movie, the best computer fear theme I've seen. The techno-lingo is genuine, the programmers realistic.

link
link
link

Seems anticlimatic

Think Skynet started like this. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Trust Google. Google is your friend.

Google wants nothing from you. Be one with Google.

EMP burst arrays-after detonation only GoogleTech will work.

ELF Array so whales and dolphins can download porn.

Weather Warfare-they generate cyclones to bust up hurricanes.

Ley Line jumpstarters to open up Carhenge Multiversal Gate.

NASA Intersteller Twitter feed.

So, am I close?

The real question is what is the link to Mangalyaan?

Cynics might think they are teaming up with the NSA, and/or working for them, to capture even more info, for a large profit.

And they are on boats so they can then ship it to North Korea.

They are decoys to divert attention from what they are really doing, even in the tech community. One day there will only be one language, but it will be in code. Game of Terminator, anyone? LOL

> Cynics might think they are teaming up with the NSA

Why would Google want to team up with comparative lightweights like the NSA?

I for one, welcome my google overlords.

"Why would Google want to team up with comparative lightweights like the NSA?".

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

When they comply with data requests, apparently, they can request compensation for the "costs" of providing it. Since there is virtually no oversight on such things, I suspect that could be very lucrative for them.

Tomorrow, Pinky, we're taking over the world!

"Pretty sure they are just data centers. Stuffing computer racks into conex boxes is the new sexy, and cheaper than building a new facility. "

Yes, we do build data centres in modular fashions. However (and not being a datacentre engineer I can't be authoritative on this) I suspect we'd struggle to get enough power out to boats… DCs are notoriously power hungry.

My understanding is that they're some form of shop (think "floating apple store"), although this is derived from the public press and not internal information.

========================================================

"Cynics might think they are teaming up with the NSA, and/or working for them, to capture even more info, for a large profit."

Google does not work for the NSA.

We supply data on specific individuals under specific circumstances to law enforcement authorities when requested to by a court. We do not disclose bulk data or allow law enforcement authorities ongoing or wide-ranging access. Law enforcement authorities have, to the best of my knowledge, no access to our servers. When we supply them data, as ordered by a court, it is done via a secure intermediary.

There have been allegations of the NSA hacking our servers and communications links; I am not currently able to comment further on this.

"Since there is virtually no oversight on such things, I suspect that could be very lucrative for them."

I understand the US Justice department maintains oversight on such expenditures (since they're paying them). In any case, they still need a court order before we give them any data. Being blunt about it, we make over $10 USDBn a quarter selling advertising so cost recovery associated with court-ordered data provision is likely to be fairly small in comparison…

As a company we don't like handing out data. We publicly disclose the number of access requests made and the percentage of the requests which are responded to with some or all of the requested data.

link

As you can see, in approximately 25% of cases, we decline to provide the data and the involved authority does not pursue the request further.

Phew – Google are completely transparent about "their" data, and unlike all other large corporates they don't lie either!

I was worried there for a minute ;)

"All your data is ours!"

"Google are completely transparent about "their" data"

I don't recall saying it's our data.. We do have data which is ours (as opposed to user data). And we're VERY clear about the distinction.

"don't lie either!"

I'm not the PR department. Or the legal department. I'm engineering.