What you should know
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- Google is blocking links from local California news outlets in protest against the California Journalism Preservation Act, which demands a journalism usage fee for linking to news sites.
- Google has terminated 28 employees following their participation in protests against Google’s cloud contract with the Israeli government, citing policy violations.
- The fired employees were part of the No Tech for Apartheid campaign, protesting Google’s involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract to provide cloud services to the Israeli government.
- Google insists that the Nimbus contract does not involve highly sensitive, classified, or military tasks related to weapons or intelligence services, despite employee protests against its potential military applications.
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Full Story
Oh, just the other day, something rather interesting popped up. Google’s been on a bit of a rampage, blocking links left and right. And not just any links, mind you, but those from local California news outlets. Why, you ask? Well, it’s all because of this new piece of legislation, the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA). This law would make Google, and other giants like it, cough up a “journalism usage fee” whenever they link to news sites in California.
But wait, there’s more. Google didn’t stop with just a silent protest. Nope, they went a step further. Recently, they gave the boot to 28 of their employees. What was their crime, you wonder? These folks had the audacity to protest against Google’s cloud contract with the Israeli government. And how did we come to know this? Through a report by Reuters, no less.
Google’s stance? Well, they claim it was just a tiny group of employees causing a big ruckus. They supposedly barged into a few offices, disrupting the peace and blocking work from getting done. Google was having none of it. “Physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing our facilities is a clear violation of our policies, and completely unacceptable behavior,” they said, all official-like.
But here’s where it gets juicy. The company’s digging its heels in, promising to keep investigating and take whatever action they deem necessary. Meanwhile, on Medium, the Google workers tied to the No Tech for Apartheid campaign are shouting from the rooftops. They’re calling the firings “flagrant retaliation.” And get this – some of the folks who got fired weren’t even at Tuesday’s protests. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time!
These fired employees and their supporters are painting a grim picture. They’re saying Google cares more about its hefty $1.2 billion contract with what they call the “genocidal Israeli government and military” than its own workers. Harsh words, right? For three long years, these folks have been trying to get Google’s bigwigs to listen to their concerns about Project Nimbus. That’s the cloud services contract, by the way. But nope, not a peep from the execs.
The protesting group’s not backing down, though. They’re standing firm on their right to peacefully protest their working conditions. They’re pretty convinced that Project Nimbus isn’t just any old contract. Nope, they believe it’s helping the Israeli government develop military tools.
Google, on the other hand, is playing it cool. They insist that the Nimbus contract’s not about creating the next big weapon or spying on folks. And guess what? This isn’t Google’s first rodeo with employee protests. Back in 2018, their workers managed to get them to drop a contract with the U.S. military, Project Maven. That one was all about analyzing drone imagery, potentially for warfare.
So, what’s the takeaway from all this drama? Well, it’s a bit of a mess, isn’t it? But one thing’s for sure – it’s never a dull day at Google.
