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Monday, June 11, 2007
Oops, looks like our sweetheart search engine has been telling secrets about our search habits according to Privacy International. In its report, it rated Google with a black bar, the only company of the 20 plus studied, with the label “Comprehensive consumer surveillance & entrenched hostility to privacy”. Ouch, “hostility to privacy”! Privacy International looked at data collection and processing, data retention, and privacy enhancing or invading innovations to muster up which companies cared about protecting your privacy and those that didn’t. Ranging from AOL, to YouTube (a Google owned site,) to Xanga, to MySpace, Google just couldn’t compete.
After its new Street Level view broke out on Google Maps last week, many were all over it for privacy concerns (though if you don’t want to be seen leaving a topless bar gentleman, then don’t go to such a place to begin with!) This is just one of the findings that dinged Google. The report goes on to site, “Generally poor track record of responding to customer complaints. Ambivalent attitude to privacy challenges (for example, complaints to EU privacy regulators over Gmail).” Aaah, good ‘ol Gmail. I’ve been telling people since its beta not to use it for serious mail since Google’s user agreement basically states Google can do anything it wants with the information in you e-mail. Now we have this report that basically shows abuse. But keep using those Gmail accounts all you lawyers, accountants, realtors, and other professionals. (BTW, I won’t use such a professional if I see they have a Gmail address.)
These privacy concerns are not new for Google. It saw an outcry last year when it caved in into the communist party of China to allow it to have access to any and all data within the cn top level domain space of Google. Now with this report, it just doesn’t seem like one can really trust what they search on Google…or use any of its other offerings such as office applications and calenders.
I must say, it is curious how there was an uproar over Bush’s wire-taps last year yet more people are effected by Google’s anti-privacy issue and yet not one word from the masses. Mmm.