[HN Gopher] Microsoft CEO Testifies That Google's Power in Searc...
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       Microsoft CEO Testifies That Google's Power in Search Is Ubiquitous
        
       Author : wunderland
       Score  : 14 points
       Date   : 2023-10-02 20:24 UTC (2 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.nytimes.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.nytimes.com)
        
       | jiggawatts wrote:
       | One way Google maintains their monopoly is that many websites
       | block _all_ bots except for the Google indexing bot.
       | 
       | This makes it literally impossible for anyone to make a competing
       | search engine because millions of doors are slammed in their
       | face. There is no practical way to _negotiate_ access at this
       | scale either leaving no options for small startups -- e.g.: AI-
       | based search!
       | 
       | One possible anti-monopoly measure would be to force Google to
       | mask the identity of their bots. E.g.: force them to use a random
       | IP address pool that third parties can also use without their
       | permission.
       | 
       | IMHO breaking up corporations is a bit heavy-handed and not the
       | only remedy available.
        
         | lp0_on_fire wrote:
         | Being only tangentially familiar with the indexing bots...what
         | legal barriers are in place to prevent a competitor from
         | impersonating a google indexing bot? Is it just a matter of the
         | google bot originates from x subnet so that's the only one
         | webmasters allow? What's to stop a competitor from running
         | their own bot but sending user-agent: totally-the-google-
         | indexing-bot-and-not-a-competitor?
        
           | jiggawatts wrote:
           | Source addresses: the Google bot traffic comes from a small
           | set of Google-owned IP address blocks.
           | 
           | Third parties bake this into things like Web Application
           | Firewall (WAF) rules. For example, Azure has a category for
           | "known bots" which includes Google but excludes your tiny AI
           | startup.
           | 
           | It's a moat built by giant corporations to keep tiny players
           | in their place.
        
         | FractalHQ wrote:
         | I feel like something as fundamental to society as the internet
         | should have a public index, no?
        
           | qudat wrote:
           | The idea sounds nice but politicians controlling an index
           | would be an abject disaster.
        
       | vigilans wrote:
       | I'm willing to testify
       | 
       | - that Windows is spyware
       | 
       | - that Microsoft is abusing their position by forcing Edge on
       | users and bundling Teams, Outlook, Office365
       | 
       | - MS software quality is atrocious and I wish we weren't stuck
       | with their garbage. Even bill gates has to agree with this under
       | oath or he would be perjuring himself
        
         | FractalHQ wrote:
         | Adobe is just as bad if not worse, and their software has
         | historically been the only reason to suffer through windows.
         | Now that Linux (and Mac) are closing the gap for gamers, less
         | and less people will be forced to suffer through the flaming
         | shit show that is Windows.
        
         | urbandw311er wrote:
         | While that's all potentially true, I don't think it does
         | anything to lessen the case against Google.
        
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       (page generated 2023-10-02 23:01 UTC)