Google, Privacy, and the Rest of Us
Reader Comments
Google Docs and Privacy
You may or may not believe in Googles values. But if you are concerned about privacy then there are some facts about Google Docs:
http://www.line-of-reasoning.com/issues/it-is-easy-to-start-an-online-presentation-on-google-docs-but-do-you-know-how-stop-it/
and here:
http://www.line-of-reasoning.com/issues/privacy-issue-google-docs-seems-to-not-delete-but-only-hide-documents-when-the-trash-is-emptied/
After more than a year a document that was deleted on Google docs is still partly accessible.
Who cares, if you got nothing to hide, you should not be concerned. Or you think that somebody gives a fck that you go and screw a girl at 5pm and at 9pm you go home to your wife? You think that world gives a fck about you? Privacy? Don`t be ridiculous. Nobody cares, unless of course you are plotting something big, something evil then you should be concerned, but then again I hope you`ll be burned and cought thanks to the technology.
All other bullshit is nonsense. As long as it helps goog grows and make money and their stock grow I do not give a fck about privacy. Because it does not exist anymore anyway. Goog rules. Amen.
Who cares?
If you've got nothing to hide then who cares what info they collect? As far as I'm concerned, the more Google or any other search engine knows about me, the more they can help me.
BTW, this is not just Google. Just to post this comment I had to give my email address, name, and state of residence.
too true
A short list of what google collects about you, either by IP address or by your account login (if you're logged in, and when you do login they collect the IP address and relate it to your account).
Everything you search for, did you like the results? did you click on any of them? did you click on the ads? or did you search for something else or refined?
All your emails (when you use gmail), did you have a link or a photo in the email? did you click on the link? did you view the attachment? Was there a relevant address in the email and you checked that address on the map? Did you track a package confirmation number that was on the email? Did someone offer to meet you? Notified you of an event that may interest you? How about when you bought something, did you get a confirmation? Hotel? Airline ticket?
All your chats when you use google talk.
All the documents you store on google-docs.
Your photos on Picasa.
Your credit card and banking information if you use GoogleCheckout, or if you are part of the Adwords or AdSense.
Where you live and where you go (with google maps). If you put your personal favorite places, then they know it too.
Are you using google calendar? So they do know the what, when, where and with who you are going to do whatever it is that you stored there.
Should we keep going?
Do you really think that all these are kept anonymously?
Do you think it's really hard to run a cross-check and basically know all there is to know about you?
And there's so much more!
Specifics?
What an empty story! The columnist does not mention even one piece of "personal data" which is collected by Google (unless perhaps you count the sites visited while navigating within their product), nor what is exchanged for such information. Perhaps he assumes the answers are already known -- if so, why bother?
