Dog days of Summer Searching
Informed and inspired to be in control this chaotic fall
As the sun beats down, casting long shadows and shimmering heat waves, we find ourselves in the midst of what poets once dubbed the "dog days of summer." These sultry days, a time of slowing down and reflecting, seem to echo our collective mood as we grapple with the pervasive influence of technology in our lives. In recent decades, we bestowed upon science and technology a profound trust, hoping they would guide us toward a brighter future. Yet, as we stand now, many feel the trust has been misplaced, revealing cracks in the foundation of our privacy and access to information.
The Erosion of Trust
Our faith in technology as a panacea has slowly eroded. We expected it to democratize information, foster meaningful connections, and enhance our lives. Instead, we find ourselves ensnared in a web where the promise of progress is overshadowed by its pitfalls. The information superhighway is now hogged by what has become the world's largest advertising engine. Google, once viewed as the gateway to knowledge, has morphed into an arbiter of truth, wielding immense power over what we see and believe.
And by paying $26.3 billion annually to be our default search option everywhere, Google is no longer working to earn our trust. They just buy it.
Right-Sizing Our Relationship with Technology
How do we recalibrate this unbalanced relationship? How do we reclaim agency over our digital lives without forsaking the benefits of innovation? These questions linger as we confront the reality that our personal data is not just currency—it's a commodity driving polarization, clickbait, and addictive behaviors. Google, in particular, stands at the forefront with a business model built on surveillance capitalism. This model not only distorts our worldview but also perpetuates addictive behaviors, including the troubling prevalence of illicit pornography.
Confronting Uncomfortable Truths
The statistics are stark: online pornography, often a hidden underbelly of the internet, is deeply entangled with issues of exploitation and trafficking. Shockingly, Pepperdine Law Review reports that one in five pornographic images depicts a child—just one of many alarming statistics that underscore the dark side of our digital age. As we navigate these revelations, we must confront the uncomfortable truth that big tech’s business model is perpetuating harm and exploitation.
A Call to Action
So, what lies ahead in these dog days of summer? It's a call to action—a moment to pause, reflect, and demand better from the technologies we use and hand to our children daily. It's about reclaiming our right to privacy, to unbiased information, and to a digital landscape that enriches rather than exploits.
As we gear up for a fall of back-to-school and a news-filled election season, we don’t have to be pulled down the dark paths of big tech, we can band together to forge a better path and regain control. Make a commitment to shape technology that serves humanity, not the other way around.
A small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Join the movement. It’s the summer of search. That summer you realized your search engine was exploiting and manipulating you and you joined the cause to fight back.
Download the free Freespoke app.
And make Freespoke your default search engine: this link in Firefox // this link in Chrome or Brave and others.
Then sign-up for premium to support the effort!
Sources:
“Google paid a whopping $26.3 billion in 2021 to be the default search engine everywhere.” https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/27/23934961/google-antitrust-trial-defaults-search-deal-26-3-billion
“1 out of 5 pornographic images is of a child.” Rachel N. Busick, “Blurred Lines or Bright Line? Addressing the Demand for Sex Trafficking Under California Law,” Pepperdine Law Review 42 (2015)
“According to cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, pornography was the 3rd-most common form of sex trafficking, after escort services and elicit massage businesses.” https://polarisproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Polaris-2019-US-National-Human-Trafficking-Hotline-Data-Report.pdf