I can care less about google gathering my data untill they arent using it for anything or selling it.

not only do I not care about them collecting it, I appreciate it (it provides useful services as you said)

People always want something for nothing. Shut up! oops, “i peed myself” :O

Bible and God does tell the truth. People don’t.

1930, Germans have secret human blue print and send jews to death camps
1940, Germans were planning to send bio-nuke Manhattan and failed.
1980, the rise of AIDS. AIDS is blacktape biological weapon
1987, Magic johnson claim he got inflected with HIV.
2001, SARS is also blacktape biological weapon to attack chinese.
2006, ex-KGB agent got radioactive poisoning
2007, TB scare on plane. Someone stole guys name and infect him.

This is why privacy is important. 4th amendment say bio-doctors, scientist, government cannot touch personal data. You can sue violator or any country almost billion dollar. It’s legal too.

It would be nice, though, if Google gave you a way to obliterate any personally-identifiable information out there (that you put up in the first place, of course). Or at least make it so that such information doesn’t appear in search results…

“4th amendment say bio-doctors, scientist, government cannot touch personal data.”

If you’re from the United States, what you just said is kind of wrong. There are companies out there that know more about you than even yourself, including tons of personal data…and it’s all legal if the information about you is in the public domain. A few have had breaches because they did not handle the data properly and it got out.

I’m fine with what Google does with my data if it doesn’t have any crazy motives behind collecting it all, other than making its products better for me. I don’t believe that they do, so I sign up for their services if they look credible to me. If they start to take more than a baby step in the wrong direction, it’s bye-bye Google for me.

Basically, it’s up to people to keep themselves secure on the Internet and make smart decisions on what services they use.

Google my DNA… In 10 years, my grand and great grand childern will be mixed all colors. Life sucks anyways.

4th amendement say government can’t touch it. How does it work anyways?

Also, why does dollar bill says “In God we trust” and what so special about God?

“Failure to provide an expungement option for retained data”

That’s my problem. I would like a delete key for safe measure.

I can’t stop but chuckle how easily the post shifts from google collecting personal info to somehow using our DNA to diagnose health risks.

When you reach 20s your life will turn into ass image… Sometime your mom and dad will yell at you. Sometime your wife ask you buy tampons, brith control pills, etc.. There is no such is perfect life at 20s.

Linsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, martha stewart, michael jackson, etc.. got privacy invaded.

When you become famous… you will get less privacy protection :(.

@ Andrew:

What useful service is Google offering you that requires them to know everything you’ve searched for, and almost every page you’ve visited for the past two, five, ten or twenty years? Oh yeah, and all the contents of every email you’ve ever received or sent.

Sure, they need to temporarily record and aggregate some stuff to improve their services but they should dispose of it immediately after.

How does this benefit you? I’m seriously curious. Not only that, are you sure the benefits far outweigh the potential negatives?

Remember, Microsoft was once a much loved and trusted tech company too.

REad the study. Here is the fine print, the bigger story which should be included in the news.

Key findings
While there may be a temptation to focus criticism on Google’s privacy performance, it is important to note that not one of the ranked organizations achieved a “green” status. Overall, the privacy standard of the key Internet players is appalling, with some companies demonstrating either wilful or a mindless disregard for the privacy rights of their customers. Even the better performing companies create lapses of privacy that are avoidable. With minimal effort most organizations can improve their privacy performance by at least one grade.

The current frenzy to “capture” ad space revenue through the exploitation of new technologies and tools will result in one of the greatest privacy challenges in recent decades. The Internet appears to be shifting as a whole toward this aim, and the opportunity to create market differentiators based on responsible privacy may diminish unless those avenues are explored immediately. We have been impressed by the good work being achieved by some sites, but consumers are right to feel aggrieved when companies fail to adopt the best privacy tools that are available.

My post on centernetworks says it all.

I’m still going without google, amazingly, and life has actually improved a little.

“When you reach 20s your life will turn into ass image”

You just keep those pearls of wisdom flowing buddy.

Thanks.

If people got Google DNA installed inside human blood. HOw do you install
firefox extension?

If I tap my veins on wrist million times, will google adsense banned me for clicking fraud?

Last I checked, the majority of Google’s services are free…
I guess you get what you pay for.
If you don’t pay, you don’t have much of a say.
Ebay has conventions for its top sellers; Google would never have a convention for its top searchers.

Comments here are really funny - particularly after reading the paranoia further below about Plaxo!

“Do no evil”?? Let’s all decide on the definition of “evil”.

We like to find out mike’s favorite pornstar…

Mike thinks Peter North is pretty hot!

I’m cool with google keeping my information. I would like for them to make “my file” available to me, as I would probably find it to be quite interesting, and something fun to reflect on. How as I’ve grown up my searches have gone from soft porn to business plans.

I will trust google until I have a reason not to. They have done nothing but provide me fabulous services for FREE. Google docs, gmail, searches, personal pages, and thoughts just touching the surface. I did have google desktop indexing my whole computer at one point, I’m sure that’s stored somewhere… don’t care as long as it doesn’t get in the wrong hands. Which if that happens, google will probably have more to worry about than I do.

Duncan,

Way to not provide any analysis… I’m sure that drives page views, but it’s shoddy journalism.

for a thoughtful, critical look at this study’s methodology see Danny Sullivan’s piece:

http://searchengineland.com/070610-100246.php

Rick
if I had a free week I could provide 10,000 words in analysis, I don’t + TC reports news, I’m not sure how reporting news is “shoddy journalism”, not every single post or article has to cover everything in heavy depth, indeed I’ve been accused in the past of not keeping the core issues brief by providing too much analysis. I guess you can’t win them all.

I have a great idea for a Google Street View extension: Google Street Patrol. “Trust is good. Control is better. Want to know what your wife does at home while you’re at work? Rent the Google Street Patrol for only 29.90!” Or buy some HITs on Amazon Mechanical Turc: “Suspicious looking Arabic guy moved in next door (long beard). Will pay 3 $ for each observation hour. If you break into his house 50 $ bonus.”
O brave new world….

I trust Google in this matter. I believe they will not use my name/emails etc. without my consent.

People should be worried that Google is collecting so much personal data. Not only will it live forever, despite their assurances that it is safe in their hands, but they are amassing so much data about peoples lives and behaviour, that at some point it becomes a gauge for social behaviour and a matter of natiional
security.

If a company like IBM, the granddaddy of tech companies, can lose GBs of personal info, it’s only a matter of time before Google will suffer the same.

Ignoring the possibility and implications of such an outcome, is like the French enjoying their hedonism while oblivious to the potential hazards of their nuclear pwr plants. Mishaps are rare if non-existent, but catastrophic when they occur.

I trust and believe google to always have my best interest at heart for my search results. They will never lose or misplace the data because they have the ‘best & brightest’ working for them.

I don’t care about being a future laughing stock a la AOL log files because google is somehow above all that. They won’t share the logs for ‘research’ and ‘public good’.

I believe in google because I place all my trust in a multi-billion dollar ad agency. Shouldn’t you?

It has nothing to do with trusting Google. It has to do with trusting human nature in general. All it takes is one disgruntled, greedy or unstable employee (or worse yet, one unstable president).

Not to mention outside forces. Sure Google is known for good security but so is the department of defense and they’ve been hacked at least a few times (that we know of).

“I believe in google because I place all my trust in a multi-billion dollar ad agency. Shouldn’t you?”

I really hope that part was sarcasm.

Privacy is relative, there are companies / gov monitoring everything we do during our lifetimes… their problem is they can’t make sense of it (google is a prime example)… teraquads of data on each person… what does it mean? Nothing… too much information is just as bad as too little, by the time they figure out what it all means, I will be worm bait.

Jon

I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m not so concerned with Google’s privacy issues.

regarding to what you said:

And Google’s ambitions may go well beyond the collection of personal information via the web. Their recent investment in 23andme, a service which will analyze people’s DNA, means that they may have access to people’s genetic makeup in the future. And that includes genetic flaws that might signal future health risks for them and their offspring. Google knowing what web searches we do today, or who we send emails to, is nothing compared with what may come in the future.

I think, it not just google doing this. Let’s not forget that Yahoo like Google has search engine, email, advertising services and other similar services that Google has.

Google is becoming a growing threat to privacy. Sure MS is evil, but just because we hate MS, should we be willing to encourage and support any other company ? I have very serious reservations about Google’s privacy policy. I love Google’s products but they’re starting to creep me out. I would be much happier if they did not store IP addresses with every search forever. They should, at the very least, have an option where you can permanently delete any traceable personal information. If I wanted to build a “Brave New World”, Google would be the perfect vehicle for my goals. Google seeks to have absolute knowledge of the individual. Remember: Knowledge is power. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Interesting information, but I think this is a little bit over the top. Google using people’s DNA to deliver targeted health information? Unlikely. I’m all for a good conspiracy theory, but this is a little too over the top even for me.

I think it is not convenience to deliver personalized content.
It must could not estimate information people need.
Perhaps,It could send people little infomation just they want and many unnecessary infomation together.

I don’t really care about Google keeping track of everything I do. Besides that, nobody forces you to use Google’s products… so, if you don’t like it, just don’t use it. I love Google’s products, they’re great and free but yeah, the “bad” part of it is that they track everything you do. It’s up to you to use them.

Google for me is Big Brother personified. with their google toolbar and search history, they are publicly collecting what you are doing on the internet. they have streetview with snapshots of your house and your car’s number plate. and those are just 2 examples, amidst all they are doing. And other people will find other uses for this info

Already, also the other companies expect google got a lot of personal information. they gave me useless callings, DMs and so on. however, google gave me useful services, i think this is not quite as bad as that…

LOL. I’m pretty sure that their investment in biotech has more to do with making bank rather than “accessing people’s DNA.”

LOL.

There are other providers of searching/webmail/etc etc/ services…

Strangely enough, every one and their mother think that Google’s the big problem. However, if you remember the old “follow the money” saying, the biggest problem should be eBay + PayPal, who, by now, must have figured everyone already. They track IP addresses, they track what you buy and where you ship it, they track how you’re paying and how some of you receive the money. Dang, that combo (eBay + PayPal) must be our second IRS by now

I don’t trust Google and never have. Their whole business model is predicated on knowing more and more about you so they can place ads so you can buy more crap.

I find it a little sad, actually, that one of the most technology advanced companies main focus is serving up ads.

Hey ppl, You are ignorant, why argue against google? why even attempt to pursuade people? It isnt YOUR choice to have them do something, it is their choice, i, being a programmer and such have found nothing wrong with google, i trust them, but i wouldnt suggest them to anyone because it is their choice — i may mention it as an option but upon that option i always give other options and i tell a little about each — im for google, but the rest of you attempting to get others to stop, or to use, is a pointless task, ur removing the freedom by US Law. The data which is used to help make your life better, i understand it falling into the wrong hands - thus you should have it ENCRYPTED, most companies do [i do at least in my programs] — final word from me: Stop complaining; use things at your OWN risk. oh and stop attempting to get people to follow what you want them to follow because you dont like it.

Ok, so Google stores “personal data” or “search terme”. Your data is linked to your IP address, and in 95% of cases, that adress will never be the same. To trace you back, someone will have to go to your ISP and find out who was connected with what address at a specific time of day.

Generally, these logs are kept from 1 to 2 years to the law can back-track, but for a third party to ID you, there is one heck of a lot of analysis that would be needed.

If the breach is one of their google account protected systems, then that is a different kettle of fish as there could well be email data or personal data.

Having solved external outsourced backup software, one of my customers recurring questions was “how can I trust that my data is safe?”. For me, there is only one way: everything is encrypted on the service provider side, and only you, the user, is able to decrypt… as long as you use a nice long password, and don’t upset the FBI, CIA or NSA.

Any other way, then you will one day have a screw-up à la Royal Bank of Scotland, IBM or several others…

Hi, im from argentina, so excuse my english please. It`s true that massive information gathering is an issue that should worry web users but its also true that lately ive been hearing what a threat google became to big companies like Microsoft (the ultimate monopoly example). And its even a bigger coincidence that now we get to know how dangerous is to use google. So i would have to say that people working at googleplex should worry about users privacy, and even more on who is trying to exploit their mistakes (or exaggerate this mistakes)

Don’t trust google. Use them, but don’t trust them. Anyone who has had any experience with g’s hiring process knows that noone is in control there. It is only a matter of time before they become the next Microsoft. Being inside Google is cooler than cool, but they don’t give a shit about anyone outside their walls. If you were smart enough, you’d already be working there and if you’re outside of the “loop”, you don’t count at all.

Do the masses ever wonder why the are condisered the ‘great unwashed’ by the wealthy? Woudn’t it be too late when you found out your private information was being provided to a government or insurance company? What would you really do? You alone, are without power and resources and lack true courage to sacrifice. That’s why you’re numbered with the great unwashed, the lemmings of the planet. Hard to accept in that tiny little mind of yours’ isn’t it- savor your illusion - it makes it all bearable.

I welcome my new Googly overlord.

What I find strange is people who say “I don’t mind Google keeping my personal search, email and calendar history on file” with complete ignorance of what might happen in the future. There’s no way to keep search private, as the AOL fiasco showed. Same with email. The content of these things is subjective and therefore can be used to identify people even without the exact email address. This is really scary and at the moment there is no “DELETE” key which I believe contravenes UK data privacy law.

This is not about what Google@2007 will do with the data. It is what Google@2020 under pressure from shareholders wanting higher returns will do with the data. Let alone any hackers who manage to get into the system.

I think Google is great and provides lots of great apps, but does it really need to store every last search I do and exactly how does that help me? I have yet to see targeted services that actually work. More often than not they get it completely wrong (pointing me in the direction of a mac when I want to buy some fruit). Stop trying to second guess what I want and just give me a decent search tool! Of course this applies to all web companies not just Google. But lets face it, by and large search still really sucks and is getting worse due to all the link farms trying to cash in on Google’s business plan.

All those worrying about googles purchase of 23andme have overlooked something quite simple : the co-founder of it is married to one of the google founders.
I suspect that had more to do with it, then any usefulness the company may have been to google.

i too welcome my new googly over lord