Google Senior Executives Sidestep Senate Hearing Inquiry

Maggie Stanphill, Director of Google User Experience was representing Google at this hearing of The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet. The title of the hearing was Optimizing for Engagement: Understanding the Use of Persuasive Technology on Internet Platforms. It was to

... examine how algorithmic decision-making and machine learning on internet platforms might be influencing the public. Witnesses will provide insight on ways technology companies use algorithms and machine learning to influence outcomes, and whether algorithm transparency or algorithm explanation are appropriate policy responses.

But another story had just broken, exposing, shall we say, some inconsistencies between Google's internal presentations and its external representations. See Google Has A Big Problem. I think that says it all, really.

Stanphill's testimony, which you can read here: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/... simply fails to address any of these issues. Principally because it's not her job to deal with this sort of shit. That's why they sent her, I suppose. They strung her up. Maggie, your employer sucks! I'll give you a job, just as soon as I can get out of this tin pot jail these fuckers have put me in. In the mean time, talk to Jony Ive. See FT's Tim Bradshaw on Jony Ive's Reasons For Leaving Apple, and tell him I suggested you talk to him, because the stuff you guys at https://wellbeing.google have done has saved my life, several times over! ❤️💓💕

I almost forgot to thank Jason Bermas for the pointer!