Write Python Book - Distribute Over Bittorent - Banned from Google

[Renegade]

Yes. More from the jaw dropping, glazed look, that's beyond the previous level of insanity department...

• Buddy writes an ebook about programming in Python.
• Gives it away for free.
• Distributes through bittorent.
• Links to where you can get it on The Pirate Bay and Demonoid.
• Pulls in the princely sum of about $6 a month from Google ads on his site.
• Google emails to tell him he's been banned.

No good deed goes unpunished.

http://rt.com/news/google-ad-torrent-ban-215/

Google ad service bans author for linking to self-published book on The Pirate Bay

An author was banned from Google’s advertising program for using Bittorrent to distribute his book for free, and for linking to the torrents on his site. Though he removed the offending links, Google refused to rescind the ban.

Cody Jackson authored a book about the programming language Python while he was deployed in Iraq, he told the website Techdirt. He made the book publicly available as gesture of gratitude to the free software community, which was tremendously helpful for him over the years, he said.

On his website, Jackson posted links to sites where the book can be downloaded, including The Pirate Bay and Demonoid. He also participated in Google’s AdSense service, which netted him around $6 a month in advertising revenue.

...

His site:

http://python-ebook.blogspot.com.au/

Article at Techdirt:

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120923/22351120487/googles-copyright-crackdown-punishes-author-torrenting-his-own-book.shtml

Google's Copyright Crackdown Punishes Author For Torrenting His Own Book

from the too-aggressive dept

Over the years, we've pointed out repeatedly a massive Achilles Heel for Google: its often dreadful customer service. Trying to communicate with Google can often be like facing a giant white monolith, rather than any sort of human being. More recently, we've been concerned about Google's willingness to be overly aggressive in "enforcing" copyright, in an effort to keep Hollywood (and Hollywood's supporters in government) off its back. Combine those two issues, and you've got quite a story... such as the one from Techdirt reader Cody Jackson.

A few years ago, Jackson, while deployed in Iraq, wrote a book about Python (the programming language) called Start Programming with Python. He decided to give away the book for free, as a "thank you" to the open source community which, he notes, has provided him with tremendous value over the years. He has always made the book available for free, and linked to various sources where you can get it. At the same time, he's offered people the option to support him via donation. He also made a little bit of money via Google AdSense ads on his site.

...

[40hz]

Apparently the motto "Do No Evil" doesn't prevent you from doing actual harm on a fairly regular basis.

What is truly annoying about Google is the fact they hide behind their technology. It's rare somebody ever gets an actual person to talk to or otherwise communicate with. Stonewalling is Google's "response" to almost everything negative.

I find it interesting how a company with such a lofty philosophy (or marketing strategy) is so comfortable absolving itself of any responsibility for its behavior or actions. Almost as if they're saying they have no real control over the thing they've built - and asking us to accept that as a given...

It's bad precedent if the world  allows them to get away with it.

[Renegade]

It's bad precedent if the world  allows them to get away with it.

I've already withdrawn my support for Google. I dropped Google AdWords a while ago. I also now primarily use DuckDuckGo.

All it takes is for more people to withdraw their support for these kinds of organizations and their antics.

Yeah, me by myself is pretty meaningless. I know. Doesn't mean that I shouldn't do what I can.

[40hz]

Yeah, me by myself is pretty meaningless. I know. Doesn't mean that I shouldn't do what I can.

Agree. Being afraid or disgusted is no excuse for abandoning one's principles. At least not from my perspective. (Other people's mileage may vary. No blame.)

However, if I'm ever going to be put up against a wall, I insist on having the satisfaction of knowing it was something I myself did that put me there.

I have no problem with dying for something. But I would find it personally offensive to be slaughtered. And one way to avoid that is by not allowing yourself to be viewed as sheep.

[Renegade]

Yeah, me by myself is pretty meaningless. I know. Doesn't mean that I shouldn't do what I can.

Agree. Being afraid or disgusted is no excuse for abandoning one's principles. At least not from my perspective. (Other people's mileage may vary. No blame.)

However, if I'm ever going to be put up against a wall, I insist on having the satisfaction of knowing it was something I myself did that put me there.

I have no problem with dying for something. But I would find it personally offensive to be slaughtered. And one way to avoid that is by not allowing yourself to be viewed as sheep.

I certainly won't claim to be on any higher moral pedestal. I've done work for companies that while I'm proud of the job it did (it was damn good), was not ethical work - it was sublimely deceptive, and the vast majority of people would swallow it up and "feel good" about it despite it being at best a half-truth. And I mean the work that I did for "fortune 100 companies", and not for "porn". The porn work I did was perfectly ethical. Or at least comparatively.

I make no assertion that everything I do is ethical. I do unethical things for money. Quite frankly, I'm trapped and have no other options. I'm working to get out of it, but it's very hard to escape the spider's web...