My friends at Google: it is time to return to not being evil | Vivaldi Blog
我的Google朋友啊：别再干肮脏事了
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共事的比谁都久。在Opera，我们是第一个把Google的搜寻服务加
入浏览器接口的。那时的Google是个成长中的迷人公司。我还清楚的记得跟
Google的共同创办人Larrt Page见面的时候，那轻松的装扮在会议上把玩着的
危险装置？稍候我见了另一个共同创办人Sergey Brin，我们的气氛很愉快。真
是个可爱的公司啊～那是Google给我的第一映像。
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.
我们与Google曾有段美好的时光。整合搜寻让Opera可以提供更好的服务给使
用者，还有得到了营收。我们以及其他浏览器跟进者，整合了Google搜寻，
帮助了Google成长。
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，后来一切都变了。Google拉近了跟Mozilla基金会的距离。后来又发表
了Google Doc。这些优质的服务得到了广大的欢迎，却也显露出Google的黑
暗面。这些服务不仅被弄成不相容Opera，甚至还要求使用者更换浏览器。我
跟Sergey Brin反应了此事，但只是徒劳。为了让几百万的使用者得以使用这些
服务，我们必须隐藏浏览器的身分。后来，在Google开始打造自己的Chrome
浏览器后，情况变得更糟了。
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，我们正打造了Vivaldi浏览器。他是基于Chromium，一个由Google主
导，建立于Webkit 和KHTML的开源计画。用来上Google的服务应该不会有任
何问的了吧？但很遗憾，并非如此。我们仍必须隐藏浏览器身分来使用
Google的服务。
And now things have hit a new low.
如今，情况已经达到前所未见的恶况。
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.
身为一个全球最大的线上广告公司 ，Google一项都是企业网络行销的首选。
被Google Adword排除在外可是很大的麻烦，尤其是对一个科技公司。
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，我们的Google AdWard广告被无预警的下架。这已经是我们第二次遇到
这种事。而这次，敏感的时机表达了强烈的暗示。
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.
我曾数次在访谈中表达了对资料蒐集和针对性广告行为的担忧，尤其是
Google 和Facebook。他们蒐集了太多的个资。我认这对民主是个严重的威
胁，Google 和Facebook拥有的大量客群不仅有利针对性行销和个别洗脑（求
正确翻法）。互联网背离了其理想的理念，转变成商业洗脑的战场。
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?
在我发表于Wired*的两天后，我们发现所有我们在Google Adward下的帐号都
被停权了，没有任何事前通知。这只是巧合吗？或者是刻意的，某种传达讯息
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.
当我们尝试跟Google厘清问题时，得到了解释 — 夹带着一堆含糊不清的政策
条款，甚只有的并非硬性规定。为了回到Google广告网络，内部专员指示我
们如何修改网站内容以及跟使用者表达讯息的方式。
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.
我们努力了解他们的解释以及种种不合理的要求（对了，有的连他们自己都不
遵循）。这样往来的三个月，我们屈服了他们的要求，帐号终于解锁了。
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.
搜寻和广告的垄断者Google，很不幸的，显然无法停止滥用力量。我难的是...
这个曾是积极有魅力的公司变成了一个恶霸。我认为，用推托的理由来阻挡竞
争者正好证明了他们的反竞争行为。可以说现在的Google需要被管制。我真心希
望他们可以回到正轨。
* 这篇：https://www.wired.co.uk/article/jon-von-tetzchner-opera-facebook-google
Written by Jon von Tetzchner