It’s a well-known fact that Google spies on users, which isn’t anything new. However, the fact that they are now using this as a reference in a marketing meme is insulting.

Google is now making jokes at customers expense, using memes for promotional ads on Reddit, and saying that they don’t care about you because they know people will still buy their ad-platform spyware products.

Well, I say 🖕Google! Your corporate capitalism greed gets another 🖕! Oh, and before I forget, 🖕too reddit.

Edit: removed mention of a certain country

  • random65837@lemmy.world
    825·
    7 months ago

    However, the fact that they are now using this as a reference in a marketing meme is insulting.

    Google is now making jokes at customers expense,

    Google sucks but they’re not doing either of those. You’re missing the point and using privacy minded thinking to misunderstand.

    Are you not familiar with the whole “I spy” thing? Ie: they see something you don’t see, they know something you don’t know?

    I assume you’re not in the US and not familiar with that?

    • 404@lemmy.zip
      335·
      7 months ago

      Question still stands: who tf greenlit this? No chance they don’t know the other connotations

      • random65837@lemmy.world
        242·
        7 months ago

        I highly doubt they’re worried about less than the 1% not seeing the obvious meaning of what they said. They’re marketing to the masses, which would very much know and pick up on the “I spy” thing.

        • ekky43@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          53·
          7 months ago

          That just expands the question: do they not know about other countries?

          Many of us have certain connotations with google, and while we know the game in our native language, it’s not the first thing we think about when thinking “Google says: I spy”.

          • JungleJim@sh.itjust.works
            62·
            7 months ago

            Probably why they published it in English and not your native language so you wouldn’t be confused and think they meant it that way. Too bad somebody will always go the extra step to be offended.

          • random65837@lemmy.world
            85·
            7 months ago

            Sorry, I disagree, I don’t make the assumption that they’re considering a statistically insignificant group of people that hate them, or possibly countless other countries when using a well know saying in their marketing.

            • ekky43@lemmy.dbzer0.com
              31·
              7 months ago

              Are you assuming that Google, which, as far as I’m aware, is an international company providing service to a multilingual userbase, has less than 1% non-native English speaking users?

              I mean, I don’t care much how Google advertises itself, even companies I do like sometimes make an unlucky promotion and that’s fine, but I do find the arguments in this comment thread to make some wild assumptions.

              • JungleJim@sh.itjust.works
                1·
                7 months ago

                What seems like a wild assumption is that an ad in one language would be designed with what another language might think of the ad in mind. Why would a Chinese person care about a Mexican ad for Coca-Cola? You’ve found something to enjoy being upset at.

              • random65837@lemmy.world
                14·
                7 months ago

                Are you assuming that Google, which, as far as I’m aware, is an international company providing service to a multilingual userbase, has less than 1% non-native English speaking users?

                I’m assuming nothing, nor did I ever say their English speaking data sources are less than 1%. That would be the privacy crowd that would be the ones to take simple marketing using a well known term and go into paranoia about it.

                However, if I were to assume anything, it would be that an ad in English, would be geard towards English speakers, not others.

    • li10@feddit.ukEnglish
      16·
      7 months ago

      I thought it sounded really out of place still, but I guess it’s a reference to Cyberpunk’s expansion being stealth/spy based.

    • CmdrShepard@lemmy.oneEnglish
      2·
      7 months ago

      I am familiar with that and don’t believe your take is accurate. When asking this question, it’s followed with a description of the thing you spy.

      “I spy… do you?” is the text of the ad and the text following that doesn’t make it make any more sense either, “Game more than you thought you could.”

    • DenaturedOP
      1·
      7 months ago

      I assume you’re not in the US and not familiar with that?

      No, other side of the world. No, not familiar with that.

  • Sentrovasi@kbin.social
    15·
    7 months ago

    I (charitably) think the fact is that they may also have misunderstood Cyberpunk to be more about hacking than it actually is, and are using “spy” despite a lot of CP2077 not being necessarily about remote hacking cameras at all.

  • indigojasper@kbin.social
    122·
    7 months ago

    my bet is one of their bots made this and they don’t even know this ad is out in the wild until someone brings it up

    • webghost0101@sopuli.xyz
      121·
      7 months ago

      Its either this or its not real. I cant believe a human would green light this unless this is their final task before taking a better job.

  • privacybro@lemmy.ninjaEnglish
    5·
    7 months ago

    the elites and corps have always done this sort of thing. if you rule over billions of retards wouldn’t you also make fun?

  • Wodge@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    7 months ago

    Cyberpunk 2077’s expansion, Phantom Liberty, is a spy story. It’s nothing to do with Google.

  • rob299@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    7 months ago

    Ever heard of the game i spy? and with that they are advertising gaming for a Chromebook. This may all just be a coincidence.

    While these tech comapnies have people look at the how users might see phrases like “hey guys.” Not sure how Google thought people wouldn’t do the same to them with this. Chromebook’s don’t sell as well so this is the worst product to do the worst with for marketing, but at the same time maybe they really do think this and think they can get away with this meme because no one is really buying a Chromebook unless it’s like for school work. (although I actually do use my personal Chromebook on the daily i’m in that small minority.)

  • Seudo@lemmy.world
    421·
    7 months ago

    Okay… And if you stand by your morals, more power to you. For me, it’s a worthwhile trade forfeiting my data (usually anonymised anyways) for the convenience of their free services.

    I’m not ignorant. Any one who isn’t aware of where G’s revenue comes from has been living under a rock. The choice is clear, and if Google is making that even more obvious, I think that’s a good thing.

    Keep fighting the good fight, but the majority of us will keep using google because these *exclusive scoops shouldn’t be a revelation to anyone.