Do you like the Google search engine? Yeah? I do too. In fact, I LOVE Google, and basically don’t use any other search engine. Why would I? Google gives great search hits, it’s fast and has that lean, efficient interface that doesn’t get in the way of my searching for information.
But do I trust Google Inc. to do no evil, to know everything about me; every aspect of my life – and not misuse that information, today and in the forseeable future?
Maybe I’m being Ultraparanoid™, but I’d have to say ”NO!”.
”But Google doesn’t know everything about me”, you say. Well, let’s take a look at what Google DO know (or may know), shall we?
If you use GMail, Google reads all your mail. If you use Google Desktop, Google reads every document on your computer. Just those two are enough to give me the creeps. But it gets even worse – a lot worse!
If you use Blogger, Google knows what you’re passionate about. If you’re logged in to GMail or Blogger while searching for something on Google search engine, Google knows what topics you wanna know more about; that is: connecting a search result to a specific person. Google knows what things you’re buying. With the recent purchase of Doubleclick, Google can follow you around as you surf, knowing everything you read about on the Internet.
So, do you trust Google Inc. to not misuse all this information you’re giving them? I sure as hell don’t. In fact, I don’t think you’d have to be Ultraparanoid to see trouble here.
Fortunately, I’m not the only one concerned1) 2) with Googles rising electronic omnipotence…
Also, as I’ve previously stated: Ebay/Skype is evil, and Google recently made a deal with eBay to integrate services wich send shivers down my spine. Just imagine combining the staggering electronic surveilance of Google with the communications nightmare that is Skype, bundeled with NSA snooping and you have a Big Brother Bonanza.
So what can you do to avoid this hell?
Well, I for one do not use GMail. I never will. I will never let a search engine/advertising gigant read my mail. Never. Did I say never? I meant NEVER EVER. Even more so, I will never let any company read all the documents on my computer. I don’t even trust the company I work for read all my documents, why would I give that trust to an international conglomerate? I use Blogger, but I log onto Blogger with another browser than I use for day-to-day browsing and research. I now use WordPress. This still stands, though: using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera and Safari for different taskt can do wonders for your privacy.
6 Comments
June 26, 2007 at 1:35 pm
That’s an excellent post, except for one thing: it doesn’t answer why Google is evil.
You are right in saying they could do a lot of damage, but that doesn’t make them evil … saying they do, is like calling every woman – a “prostitute”, because they’re equipped for it, or every man holding a knife a “murderer” for the same reason.
That said, I think you are right in being wary.
Bu the way, I’m a blogspot user, gmail user and some more …
June 26, 2007 at 2:03 pm
I agree that nothing in my post conclusively points out that Google is doing evil things, only that the potential for doing harm to your privacy is huge. I don’t want anyone to stop using Google’s services or drag Google into court for crimes committed. You can choose to use Google’s services if you feel that the benefits outweigh the risks. If your privacy isn’t that important to you, you’ll be fine. But if you are adamant about your privacy, at least now you’ll have the knowledge to make an informed choice.
September 21, 2007 at 8:43 am
utnapistim is right. You just said “Google is evil! They have the capability to be evil. Therefore they are evil!”
September 21, 2007 at 1:04 pm
guys, the name of the blog is “ultraparanoid” – it’s enough that google has too much power
October 6, 2007 at 6:53 am
The point of the “Do no evil” motto is much misunderstood. As you’ve pointed out, Google has access to huge swathes of your personal data. It needs it to do its business: targetted advertising.
Just because Google is in a position to abuse this data is not proof that google _does_ do so. Can you provide proof?
Counter-proof is the lawsuits google gets involved in. It is vociferous in not handing that data over to **AA, law enforcement, etc. unless forced to.
This is because it depends on peoples trust in handing over their personal data. People can run other mail servers, blogs, search engines. If people got scared of google, they’d run in droves.
Hence the public stance to do no evil.
Are you right to be paranoid? probably. Its too much concentrated power, too much chance to be subverted. At least ensure that there are alternatives to google. But they’re not evil just because they could be.
October 9, 2007 at 11:12 am
Google has carefully cultivated a corporate image of “not being evil” … so that people WON’T object when they start slurping up every last detail of their lives. But just think about this: they are quite willing to give up this information if the government (or any government, really, in the world) asks for it.