Re: Is Google Spyware?

From: Zac Jensen (cybereal_list@sisna.com)
Date: Thu Feb 27 2003 - 20:57:29 MST

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    > Is Google Invading Your Privacy?

     You have to install the bar for them to gather information, and if you have
     ever paid attention to the installation process, you choose whether or not
     you want to report. This is not an invasion of privacy whatsoever.

    > 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.

     I've shown up on google in several instances, never putting any effort into
     making my website 'google compatible'. (I think it is mainly because of my
     slashdotted article though)

    > 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.

     That's a loaded ethical question with topic self-serving answer. Just
     because they could, doesn't mean they will, and moreso than any other large
     internet 'foundation' I've found google to express their concerns for
    ethics
     and privacy.

    > 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.*

     Pointless.

    > 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.

     Assuming this is not just irrelevant 'FUD', is the problem here REALLY with
     Google? Have they considered what other very large information consuming
     companies could also do the same thing? (i.e. google is not the only
    search
     engine, see: yahoo.com msn.com etc.)

     ... A silly person emailed me this same quoted information (or rather, sent
     it to me via the infamously annoying ICQ). The belief of the 'information'
     which is rather opinionated seemed to be a quality of his limited
     personality. I have to ask you, what would promote these obvious claims of
     possible actions and outcomes in hypothetical situations? That seems more
     interesting to me.

     Ciao
     -Zac



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