Letter Re: Google Almighty

HJL,

Do I speak blasphemy? Do I speak heresy against the almighty, all-knowing, all-seeing Google? Yes, I do and proudly proclaim my disgust with Google and their we-know-better-than-you mindset. In fact, they have accumulated so enormously and stupendously much data that they have concluded they know everything, and since they know everything they can decide what you should know and what you should not know.

That’s right. Google has decided to filter the search results it presents to you in the name of Internet quality, and I can’t argue that they do not have a right to do this, but it’s dishonest, and it shortchanges its customers. When you look at your results from Googling something, be aware that you may not be getting the whole picture. Yes, there may be a few pieces of the puzzle missing because a “quality censor” decided that was not the right answer and it just did not meet Google standards. What you will get is a Googlized view of the answer.

Nobody would really notice unless they were really interested in search engine results or they had a web page or web site that suddenly disappeared without a word. Yes, that’s where I come in. I have a personal bone to pick with Google. Not that it will matter, but I kick the shin of the Goliath Google with my tiny worn out boot. The giant laughs it off and swats at the lowly amateur webmaster and goes on deciding what’s best for everybody else.

They don’t own the Internet! Some of the Internet is still free. I’m quite sure Google would love to someday be contracted by a future government regulatory agency. Who knows, maybe the FCC will take on such a role in the name of Internet neutrality and the greater good. Google is just getting the mechanisms of censorship in place so they can ramp up operation if given the wink and nod.

What is my beef with Google? I have an article that I published on my website, which resides on an Internet backwater, unknown to almost everyone. It was my first article in 2007 on a subject that was neglected and largely overlooked by the prepper community, so I addressed it with this article. It somehow caught on with the public through the magic of the Internet. I did very little to promote it, except mention in on a few forums, but I got dozens of readers each day and at times hundreds of readers, until Google decided it was information unfit for your eyes to see. Now, only a trickle of visitors find it and mostly from the many links other websites and forums have made to it.

Well, the article and the website are still there because Google still can’t get rid of it because at least some of the Internet is not controlled by those who know better than us. There is much information available on the subject now days, though not so much in 2007. Awareness has grown thankfully, and I think in small measure I had something to do with that.

HJL Responds: I’m undecided on Google’s primary purpose in life. I can’t quite figure out if they are a for-profit company or if they are just a front for the NSA (or other such alphabet security agency from the government). Possibly, they are both. In any case, their suspected ties to those who would gather personal information on you for nefarious purposes is enough to encourage me to use other search engines. Currently, my preference is http://duckduckgo.com, but there are a number of others available as well that do not record your searches. I might also add that avoidance of all things Google is my current policy. That includes the android operating system, Chrome web browser, and anything else with clear ties. I highly recommend the Prism Break web site.

As to your article on EMP protection and using an ammo canister for a Faraday cage: Make sure that you use some form of conductive material to bridge the rubber seal in the lid. (This might be rolled metal window screen, aluminum foil, et cetera.) You will also need to make sure that the paint along the edge of the can is removed, so that the foil can make contact with both the lid and the can. Without that, the can will leak EMP significantly. It’s relatively easy to check the effectiveness of any Faraday cage. Just throw your cell phone in it and call it. If the phone rings, the cage leaks too much radiation.