HackerTube
HomeLongsLikedHistoryWatch laterCategoriesPlaylistsSettings

Google Opt Out Feature Lets Users Protect Privacy By Moving To Remote Village

The OnionCited 8× on HN, 2016-2025
YouTube
2M views · 17 years ago · comedy · evergreen

A satirical Onion news segment announcing a Google feature that lets users opt out of Google's data collection by moving to a remote village without Google products or sunlight.

Used as a punchline in privacy and opt-out threads, mostly as a joke that reality has caught up to the satire.

Satire & parodyPrivacy, surveillance & cybercrime#theonion#google#privacy#satire#optout

8 comments from Hacker News

@roxolotl2025 · in “The force-feeding of AI features on an unwilling public”

The Onion has a great response to this from 2009: ▶ this video Of course you can opt out. People live in the backwoods of Alaska. But if you want to live a semi normal life there is no option. And absolutely people should feel entitled to a normal life.

JokeView on HN
@roxolotl2025 · in “Avoiding AI is hard – but our freedom to opt out must be protected”

Reminds me of the wonderful Onion piece about a Google Opt Out Village. ▶ this video I appreciate the frustration that, if not quite yet, it’ll be near impossible to live a normal life without having exposure to GenAI systems. Of course as others say here, and the date on the Onion piece shows, it’s not sadly not a new concern.

JokeView on HN
@lozenge2021 · in “Beware Centralization”

When Apple killed Flash, it killed Flash for you too. Now if Facebook promotes division and misinformation... just because you don't log onto Facebook, doesn't mean it has no impact on your life. ▶ this video vibes

JokeView on HN
@wongarsu2021 · in “Apple pays out millions to student after repair techs shared her personal images”

> If that's your kink, then Polaroid cameras and camcorders exist. That sounds a bit like the Onion sketch "Google allows you to opt-out of tracking by moving to remote mountain village" [1]. This case proves that the criminal justice system works to protect your personal images, we just need a better way to be notified when it happens (the kind of action you would expect Apple to take if they cared, instead of "we continued to strengthen our vendor protocols") 1: ▶ this video

JokeView on HN
@heartbeats2020 · in “Treat Facebook like something between a telco and a newspaper, says Zuckerberg”

Well, let's put it this way: "The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent." You can stay away from Facebook and then feel really smug ten years from now when it eventually collapses. But until then, you'd have missed out on a lot of important things. The only winning move is to realize that you do not have a choice, and that the terms of service are just an illusion. For the record, I think Facebook's existence is regrettable. But the notion that you have any ability, choice, freedom, right, or opportunity to opt out from it is laughable. As for the idea of the social contract, I think you are actually spot on: > Social contract arguments typically posit that individuals have consented, either explicitly or tacitly, to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority [...] in exchange for protection of their remaining rights or maintenance of the social order. Individuals have: [?] consented explicitly [x] consented tacitly [x] to surrender some of their freedoms [x] to submit to the authority [Facebook] [ ] in exchange for protection of their remaining rights [x] in exchange for maintenance of the social order In fact, it could even be argued that this de-facto state of affair ought to be made de-jure. Certainly, it is the case already today that many of my local government agencies are more active on Twitter or Facebook than they are over phone or e-mail. In fact, they rarely use e-mail for regulatory reasons. If someone is suicidal, has an e

CitesView on HN
@mindcrash2018 · in “Google’s smart city dream is turning into a privacy nightmare”

So it's pretty safe to say this vid from The Onion made a few years ago has become reality. ▶ this video What a time to be alive.

JokeView on HN
@miesman2016 · in “The privacy wars are about to get a whole lot worse”

"If you want to opt out that is fine. You can just toil in the hinterlands, and die young" ▶ this video

JokeView on HN
@readams2016 · in “Snowden Warns World Against Trusting Privacy to Tech Giants”

Seriously? You can't imagine why people might want to take advantage of modern technology while simultaneously wanting privacy protections? Your argument reminds me of this Onion video: ▶ this video

JokeView on HN
The Power Of Selling Out: Your Customers As Political Capital - Onion Talks - Ep. 93:46

The Power Of Selling Out: Your Customers As Political Capital - Onion Talks - Ep. 9

The Onion
434K views • 13 years ago
Sony Releases Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work2:31

Sony Releases Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work

The Onion
10.1M views • 17 years ago
Missing Teen's Friends Go On TV To Plead For Her Release, Gossip About Ugly Classmates3:13

Missing Teen's Friends Go On TV To Plead For Her Release, Gossip About Ugly Classmates

The Onion
8.3M views • 15 years ago
HP Offers 'That Cloud Thing Everyone Is Talking About'2:10

HP Offers 'That Cloud Thing Everyone Is Talking About'

The Onion
898K views • 14 years ago
Facebook CIA Project: The Onion News Network3:15

Facebook CIA Project: The Onion News Network

c0pyr1gh7
761K views • 15 years ago
Using Social Media To Cover For Lack Of Original Thought - Onion Talks - Ep. 63:37

Using Social Media To Cover For Lack Of Original Thought - Onion Talks - Ep. 6

The Onion
1.5M views • 13 years ago
Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?2:05

Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

The Onion
4.8M views • 17 years ago
Gross COPPA Violation1:55

Gross COPPA Violation

Videos
86K views • 6 years ago
New Live Poll Lets Pundits Pander To Viewers In Real Time3:10

New Live Poll Lets Pundits Pander To Viewers In Real Time

The Onion
2.7M views • 17 years ago
Gmail Man! (Microsoft's anti-Google video promoting Office 365)2:42

Gmail Man! (Microsoft's anti-Google video promoting Office 365)

Rishabh Singla
54K views • 15 years ago
Expert Wasted Entire Life Studying Anteaters2:55

Expert Wasted Entire Life Studying Anteaters

The Onion
9.4M views • 18 years ago
What Google Search Is Like Now5:27

What Google Search Is Like Now

Ryan George
2.5M views • 4 years ago
Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard2:46

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

The Onion
13.6M views • 17 years ago
Mitchell & Webb Sound - Identity Theft1:55

Mitchell & Webb Sound - Identity Theft

kevinmurphy
305K views • 19 years ago
Dunkey's Guide to Streaming Services4:17

Dunkey's Guide to Streaming Services

videogamedunkey
2.7M views • 2 years ago
Silicon Valley - Making the World a Better Place1:32

Silicon Valley - Making the World a Better Place

Brian J. Hall
345K views • 7 years ago
Honest Government Ad | Anti Encryption Law2:26

Honest Government Ad | Anti Encryption Law

thejuicemedia
1.4M views • 8 years ago
Unsere Cyber Cyber Regierung - Jung & Naiv: Ultra Edition - #32c32:14

Unsere Cyber Cyber Regierung - Jung & Naiv: Ultra Edition - #32c3

Jung & Naiv
221K views • 10 years ago
Jian Yang's New Pied Piper - Silicon Valley1:14

Jian Yang's New Pied Piper - Silicon Valley

lol Valley
793K views • 8 years ago
Billionaire Holocaust1:21

Billionaire Holocaust

SnapeScope
637K views • 11 years ago