6 ms·
“Google denied wrongdoing but settled to avoid the risk, cost and uncertainty of litigation, court papers show.” I keep seeing folks float this as some admissi
by monocularvision 7mo ago
“Google denied wrongdoing but settled to avoid the risk, cost and uncertainty of litigation, court papers show.”
I keep seeing folks float this as some admission of wrongdoing but it is not.
- stackghost 7mo ago>I keep seeing folks float this as some admission of wrongdoing but it is not. It absolutely is. If they knew without a doubt their equipment (that they produce) doesn't eavesdrop, then why would they be concerned about "risk [...] and uncertainty of litigation"?
- gildenFish 7mo agoIt is not. The belief that it does is just a comforting delusion people believe to avoid reality. Large companies often forgo fighting cases that will result in a Pyrrhic victory. Also people already believe google (and every other company) eavesdrops on them, going to trail and winning the case people would not change that.
- stackghost 7mo agoThat doesn't answer my question. By their own statement they are concerned about the risks and uncertainty of litigation. Again: If their products did not eavesdrop, precisely what risks and uncertainty are they afraid of?
- caminante 7mo agoI'm giving parent benefit of the doubt, but I'm chuckling at the following scenarios: (1) Alphabet admits wrongdoing, but gets an innocent verdict (2) Alphabet receives a verdict of wrongdoing, but denies it and the parent using either to claim lack of > some admission of wrongdoing The court's designed to settle disputes more than render verdicts.
- caminante 7mo agoThe payout was not pennies and this case had been around since 2019, surviving multiple dismissal attempts. While not an "admission of wrongdoing," it points to some non-zero merit in the plaintiff's case.
- anigbrowl 7mo agoNo corporate body ever admits wrongdoing and that's part of the problem. Even when a company loses its appeals, it's virtually unheard of for them to apologize, usually you just get a mealy mouthed 'we respect the court's decision although it did not go the way we hoped.' Accordingly, I don't give denials of wrongdoing any weight at all. I don't assume random accusations are true, but even when they are corporations and their officers/spokespersons are incentivized to lie.
- hunterpayne 7mo ago> I keep seeing folks float this as some admission of wrongdoing but it is not. The money is the admission of guilt in modern parlance.