Is Google Spyware?

From: BillK (bill@wkidston.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: Thu Feb 27 2003 - 15:34:25 MST

  • Next message: Wei Dai: "Re: The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect"

    PC Magazine has an article describing how Google can track your surfing
    habits if you install the Google Toolbar.

    February 26, 2003
    Is Google Invading Your Privacy?
    By Cade Metz

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,904096,00.asp

    A Site called Google Watch also describes several privacy problems with
    Google and discusses how the Google virtual monopoly could be
    undermining the Web by the methods their webcrawlers use to construct
    their databases.
    e.g. If your web site doesn't match their selection criteria it will
    never appear in their search results.

    http://www.google-watch.org/

    Quote:---------------
    Question: What would be the fastest, most efficient, and most revealing
    approach to data mining the Internet?
    Answer: Pay Google for a back-door feed on who's searching for what.

    Question: Has Google ever, in their entire existence, issued any sort
    of statement suggesting that their sense of public responsibility would
    preclude being used in this way, or that the information they collect
    would never be sold for a price?
    Answer: Not convincingly.*

    Question: If Google decided to sell out, could they be held liable for
    privacy violations? Would we even find out about it?
    Answer: No. The Homeland Security Act exempts companies from lawsuits
    or government prosecution after they turn over information to the new
    agency. Such information is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
    Officials who release this information can get up to six months in
    prison and a $5,000 fine.
    End Quote---------------------------

    Hmmm - Problems with the great god Google???
    We're all doooooooomed !

    BillK

    __________________________________________________________________________
    Freeserve AnyTime - Go online whenever you want for just £6.99 a month for
    your first 3 months, that's HALF PRICE! And then it's just £13.99 a month
    after that.

    For more information visit http://www.freeserve.com/time/ or call free on
    0800 970 8890

    This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Thu Feb 27 2003 - 15:37:27 MST