My friends at Google: it is time to return to not being evil | Vivaldi Blog
我的Google朋友啊：別再幹骯髒事了
https://vivaldi.com/blog/google-return-to-not-being-evil/
I have known Google longer than most. At Opera, we were the first to add
their search into the browser interface, enabling it directly from the search
box and the address field. At that time, Google was an up-and-coming geeky
company. I remember vividly meeting with Google’s co-founder Larry Page,
his relaxed dress code and his love for the Danger device, which he played
with throughout our meeting. Later, I met with the other co-founder of
Google, Sergey Brin, and got positive vibes. My first impression of Google
was that it was a likeable company.
我跟Google共事的比誰都久。在Opera，我們是第一個把Google的搜尋服務加
入瀏覽器介面的。那時的Google是個成長中的迷人公司。我還清楚的記得跟
Google的共同創辦人Larrt Page見面的時候，那輕鬆的裝扮在會議上把玩著的
危險裝置？稍候我見了另一個共同創辦人Sergey Brin，我們的氣氛很愉快。真
是個可愛的公司啊～那是Google給我的第一映像。
Our cooperation with Google was a good one. Integrating their search into
Opera helped us deliver a better service to our users and generated revenue
that paid the bills. We helped Google grow, along with others that followed in
our footsteps and integrated Google search into their browsers.
我們與Google曾有段美好的時光。整合搜尋讓Opera可以提供更好的服務給使
用者，還有得到了營收。我們以及其他瀏覽器跟進者，整合了Google搜尋，
幫助了Google成長。
However, then things changed. Google increased their proximity with the
Mozilla foundation. They also introduced new services such as Google Docs.
These services were great, gained quick popularity, but also exposed the
darker side of Google. Not only were these services made to be incompatible
with Opera, but also encouraged users to switch their browsers. I brought
this up with Sergey Brin, in vain. For millions of Opera users to be able to
access these services, we had to hide our browser’s identity. The browser
sniffing situation only worsened after Google started building their own
browser, Chrome.
然而，後來一切都變了。Google拉近了跟Mozilla基金會的距離。後來又發表
了Google Doc。這些優質的服務得到了廣大的歡迎，卻也顯露出Google的黑
暗面。這些服務不僅被弄成不相容Opera，甚至還要求使用者更換瀏覽器。我
跟Sergey Brin反應了此事，但只是徒勞。為了讓幾百萬的使用者得以使用這些
服務，我們必須隱藏瀏覽器的身分。後來，在Google開始打造自己的Chrome
瀏覽器後，情況變得更糟了。
Now, we are making the Vivaldi browser. It is based on Chromium, an open-
source project, led by Google and built on WebKit and KHTML. Using
Google’s services should not call for any issues, but sadly, the reality is
different. We still have to hide our identity when visiting services such as
Google Docs.
目前，我們正打造了Vivaldi瀏覽器。他是基於Chromium，一個由Google主
導，建立於Webkit 和KHTML的開源計畫。用來上Google的服務應該不會有任
何問的了吧？但很遺憾，並非如此。我們仍必須隱藏瀏覽器身分來使用
Google的服務。
And now things have hit a new low.
如今，情況已經達到前所未見的惡況。
As the biggest online advertising company in the world, Google is often the
first choice for businesses that want to promote their products or services on
the Internet. Being excluded from using Google AdWords could be a major
problem, especially for digital companies.
身為一個全球最大的線上廣告公司 ，Google一項都是企業網路行銷的首選。
被Google Adword排除在外可是很大的麻煩，尤其是對一個科技公司。
Recently, our Google AdWords campaigns were suspended without warning.
This was the second time that I have encountered this situation. This time,
however, timing spoke volumes.
最近，我們的Google AdWard廣告被無預警的下架。這已經是我們第二次遇到
這種事。而這次，敏感的時機表達了強烈的暗示。
I had several interviews where I voiced concerns about the data gathering
and ad targeting practices – in particular, those of Google and Facebook.
They collect and aggregate far too much personal information from their
users. I see this as a very serious, democracy-threatening problem, as the
vast targeting opportunities offered by Google and Facebook are not only
good for very targeted marketing, but also for tailored propaganda. The idea
of the Internet turning into a battlefield of propaganda is very far away from
the ideal.
我曾數次在訪談中表達了對資料蒐集和針對性廣告行為的擔憂，尤其是
Google 和Facebook。他們蒐集了太多的個資。我認這對民主是個嚴重的威
脅，Google 和Facebook擁有的大量客群不僅有利針對性行銷和個別洗腦（求
正確翻法）。網際網路背離了其理想的理念，轉變成商業洗腦的戰場。
Two days after my thoughts were published in an article by Wired, we found
out that all the campaigns under our Google AdWords account were
suspended – without prior warning. Was this just a coincidence? Or was it
deliberate, a way of sending us a message?
在我發表於Wired*的兩天後，我們發現所有我們在Google Adward下的帳號都
被停權了，沒有任何事前通知。這只是巧合嗎？或者是刻意的，某種傳達訊息
的方式？
When we reached out to Google to resolve the issue, we got a clarification
masqueraded in the form of vague terms and conditions, some of which, they
admitted themselves, were not a “hard” requirement. In exchange for being
reinstated in Google’s ad network, their in-house specialists dictated how we
should arrange content on our own website and how we should communicate
information to our users.
當我們嘗試跟Google釐清問題時，得到了解釋 — 夾帶著一堆含糊不清的政策
條款，甚只有的並非硬性規定。為了回到Google廣告網路，內部專員指示我
們如何修改網站內容以及跟使用者表達訊息的方式。
We made effort to understand their explanations and to work with them on
their various unreasonable demands (some of which they don’t follow
themselves, by the way). After almost three months of back-and-forth, the
suspension to our account has been lifted, but only when we bent to their
requirements.
我們努力了解他們的解釋以及種種不合理的要求（對了，有的連他們自己都不
遵循）。這樣往來的三個月，我們屈服了他們的要求，帳號終於解鎖了。
A monopoly both in search and advertising, Google, unfortunately, shows
that they are not able to resist the misuse of power. I am saddened by this
makeover of a geeky, positive company into the bully they are in 2017. I feel
blocking competitors on thin reasoning lends credence to claims of their anti-
competitive practices. It is also fair to say that Google is now in a position
where regulation is needed. I sincerely hope that they’ll get back to the
straight and narrow.
搜尋和廣告的壟斷者Google，很不幸的，顯然無法停止濫用力量。我難的是...
這個曾是積極有魅力的公司變成了一個惡霸。我認為，用推託的理由來阻擋競
爭者正好證明了他們的反競爭行為。可以說現在的Google需要被管制。我真心希
望他們可以回到正軌。
* 這篇：https://www.wired.co.uk/article/jon-von-tetzchner-opera-facebook-google
Written by Jon von Tetzchner