Since we as a project have left Twitter/X (as recently announced by our Publicity Team) on the basis of "We do not want to be present in a place where we cannot ensure that users will be respected and where abuse happens without consequences" [0] [1], I would like start a discussion about how we as a project can promptly sever ties with Google.
Currently, the Debian project has a much closer relationship with Google than we have ever had with Twitter/X. Google is listed on the Debian Partners Program page [2], which states: "Google sponsors parts of Salsa's continuous integration infrastructure within Google Cloud Platform." "Google is one of the largest technology companies in the world, providing a wide range of Internet-related services and products as online advertising technologies, search, cloud computing, software, and hardware." Additionally, Google is a DebConf25 sponsor [3]. Yet, Google has for a long time closely collaborated with the United States Government, specifically with the Defense and Intellence arms. This collaboration is no longer something that our project can continue to turn a blind toward. Just within the last year Google has increased this collaboration to the point of becoming a full-fledged and enthusiastic participant in the US defense industrial complex. 2024-04-09: "Google is now authorized to host classified data in the cloud" [4] "We're thrilled to announce another significant milestone for Google Public Sector: the authorization of Google Distributed Cloud Hosted to host Top Secret and Secret missions for the U.S. Intelligence Community, and Top Secret missions for the Department of Defense," Leigh Palmer, the company’s vice president of delivery and operations said at Google Cloud Next conference in Las Vegas. "This authorization underscores Google Public Sector's commitment to empowering government agencies with secure, cutting-edge technology." 2024-04-17: "Google Public Sector ‘hitting our stride’ in government market, CEO says" [5] "Being authorized on secret and top secret for the most stringent government requirements more than anything demonstrates Google's commitment to this market. I’m so proud of that. You know, I'm a mission junkie, former Navy officer, this is what I came to Google for: to be able to deliver on the promise of Google technology and those missions." This goes far beyond the US Defense and Intellence agencies purchasing the same mass market products which are available to everyone, far beyond benign public sector services for education and healthcare. Google is specifically tailoring products and services, in close collaboration with the US Defense and Intellence agencies, to specifically increase the capabilities of those agencies. Since there are people within the project who will not even travel to the US because of problematic policies and overreach by the government, especially by intelligence agencies, it seems highly problematic for us to continue accepting Google as a sponsor. Especially given the fact that Google has become a de facto part of the US government, and especially of its intellegence arm. I feel far more threatened by a continuing relationship between Debian and Google--knowing that Debian shares a computing platform and resources with the monsters responsible for thousands of drone strikes across the world, being responsible for countless civilian deaths, as well as who knows what other atrocities both inside the US and across the world--than by our former use of Twitter/X as a platform for publishing bits of news about the project. And a continuing relationship between Debian and Google objectively poses a far greater threat of far greater harm to far more people than did our former use of Twitter/X. I am calling for those responsible for the Debian Partners Program to immediately discontinue the partner relationship with Google and then for those responsible for managing the various Google-integrated and Google-hosted Debian services to being the process of divestiture. Regards, -Roberto [0] https://lists.debian.org/debian-publicity/2025/01/msg00067.html [1] https://x.com/debian/status/1884897431894323375 [2] https://www.debian.org/partners/ [3] https://debconf25.debconf.org/ [4] https://www.nextgov.com/acquisition/2024/04/google-now-authorized-host-classified-data-cloud/395557/ [5] https://www.nextgov.com/acquisition/2024/04/google-public-sector-hitting-our-stride-government-market-ceo-says/395819/ -- Roberto C. Sánchez
