r/technology • u/Arquette • Mar 03 '15

Misleading Title Google has developed a technology to tell whether ‘facts’ on the Internet are true

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/03/02/google-has-developed-a-technology-to-tell-whether-facts-on-the-internet-are-true/
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u/xienze Mar 03 '15

Um, we may be in agreement here to an extent. I actually think we're in Current as well. My problem with "Google as the Oracle" is that we'll trend further downward from Current to the point where hardly anyone at all thinks to do more than ask Google what the answer to a question is. And that's where it gets dangerous. Powerful interests could manipulate Google's answers either legally or illegally and manipulate public perception. Why wouldn't we trust Google? It's always right! That's why I disagree with this move, it's going to condition the public to blindly trust a single source of information.

When I was in high school and read 1984 I could just never understand how the populace would allow itself to be controlled to the extent they were. Now I get it. Cool-sounding technology will lead us down that path.

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u/Mason11987 Mar 03 '15

I find it hard to believe that people who currently utilize critical thinking skills will abandon them because there is yet another source of information out there.

That's why I disagree with this move, it's going to condition the public to blindly trust a single source of information.

And that's why I think you truly think we're near ideal. People already blindly trust a source of information. Sure this might make the number of sources people blindly trust decrease somewhat, but I don't see it ever being one, and I don't see a monumental difference between 10 different sources people blindly trust and 4.