Google Warning

This from the BBC news web page today (12/02/06) about how google is planning to store OUR private information for up to 30 days on hard disk unless we configure google search otherwise!

This is a must read for all GOOGLE users direct from the BBC web page. Heres the link:

news.bbc.co.uk...

What do you think? I smell secret intelligence gathering, because lets be honest if its stored it can be got at and read by... well any one with enough resources..

Mod Edit: No Caps in titles please.

[edit on 11-2-2006 by Nerdling]

Seems everyone is at it these days.
I read recently that AOL stores info and downloads it to AOL servers at startup, and ZoneAlarm does something similar. Funny that, a firewall package to stop snooping into our systems downloading our surfing info to it's manufacturers

Bottom line is that governments will snoop on people with or without the legal right to do so. Hell, even those members of government that want us spied on are probably being watched by other factions within government and the very spy agencies that they supposedly run..... nobody is safe

Extremely interesting. They will never get this mechanism safe.

Google says it plans to encrypt all data transferred from users' hard drives and restrict access.

Flawed. Any system can be hacked into.

Unless you configure Google Desktop very carefully, and few people will, Google will have copies of your tax returns, love letters, business records, financial and medical files, and whatever other text-based documents the desktop software can index.

The government could then demand these personal files with only a subpoena rather than the search warrant it would need to seize the same things from your home or business,"

No, they would simply take them whenever it pleases them because they have the best hackers on the planet on their payroll. Argh!

Also in that article:

The new version of its desktop search software comes as Google is battling efforts by the US Department of Justice to force it to hand over data about what people are looking for.

....in the name of freedom and war on terrorism no doubt.

I would recommend stop using Google Desktop.

Thanks for pointing to this, great find!

[edit on 11-2-2006 by HardToGet]

Oh god, now they'll find about my....erm...what? I don't see the problem, really. Sure, it's a bit of a cheek. But, I'm not a nonce and I'm not a terrorist.

So really, I think I'll just get on with my life and not make mountains out of molehills in an attempt to try and make the world seem more interesting than it actually is.

Many of the other search companies keep your search on record permanently. Thirty days is pretty trivial.

Google Desktop and Google Toolbar are really only useful in a business setting where such centralized control can be useful.

all the text files on your computer doesn't sound like it's just them recording little tidbits of info about your surfing habits....does the words identity theft mean anything to anyone??

if they are pulling up things like our income tax records, I don't care if they are storing them in encrypted code, they have no reason to have my social security number on file....not to mention my credit card info, or banking info...

too bad, google has one of the best search engines around, but, I guess I'll avoid their entire site now thank you...at least until there's a clearer picture of what they are doing.......is it's just my surfing habits, I really don't care, but there is a site that I visit frequently, or maybe another family member does, that is opening up the back door to my computer so they can come in sneaking around.....haven't figured out who it is....but, well....google's gone as far as I am concerned.

Are you a closet nonce? a criminal? What have you got be afraid of?

Yes, this question is a cliche. But it's also a cliche that none have ever answered adequately.


Ever noticed that?

[edit on 11-2-2006 by albie]

they have the best hackers on the planet on their payroll.

Thankfully that's not true. The best hackers on the planet are individualists, almost to a fault. The ethos doesn't synch up well with government drudgery. That's not to say the government doesn't have computer software nerds on their payroll, they do, but the majority of hackers are not affiliated with the US government, or any other government for that matter. Even those motivated strictly by money know they can get better compensation in the private sector.

albie: Please don't be one of those people who thinks "Well, I'm not doing anything wrong, so I think they should be able to monitor everyone! If you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to hide!"

Fact is, people have an inherent right to privacy. Now, Google is a private organization and can log their searches if they list that they do that so people can make an informed decision to use them or not. That doesn't mean they should do that, though. They've been logging their searches since the beginning and I still use them, just because I need good search results.

Thanks for the link - quite worrying, at least google admits it, I expect many other search engines don't even make it public.

Still it's a great shame though, it's the best search engine around... *sigh* now I'll have to use the wanadoo search engine

Originally posted by LoganCale
albie: Please don't be one of those people who thinks "Well, I'm not doing anything wrong, so I think they should be able to monitor everyone! If you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to hide!"

Fact is, people have an inherent right to privacy. Now, Google is a private organization and can log their searches if they list that they do that so people can make an informed decision to use them or not. That doesn't mean they should do that, though. They've been logging their searches since the beginning and I still use them, just because I need good search results.

You still haven't answered the question. But I expected that.

A right to privacy? That's just a notion. Any decent person would waive the right to privacy if it means bad guys get caught.

Why won't you? That's the question within the question.

It's not the search engine google.com that is collecting the information it's their desktop search tool you can download & install that collates the information before publishing it online.
Using the google search engine online will not affect your privacy.

Wasnt it just in the news (correct me if Im wrong) how the feds tried to take all the search records from Google, and Google wouldnt let them? The feds even had a warrent or something, but the people at Google told them to stick it because they saw it as unAmerican to hand it over.

Originally posted by dawnstar

....does the words identity theft mean anything to anyone??

if they are pulling up things like our income tax records, I don't care if they are storing them in encrypted code, they have no reason to have my social security number on file....not to mention my credit card info, or banking info...

1st off, i'm of like mind with albie and that sub-plot...

which ties in with the above quote from dawnstar post.
and my reply that follows;

~just why are you, or anyone else, comfortable with typing out SS #s,
or bank account #s, or any other sensitive info (which you do not blurt out-loud in public) on to your harddrive??

i reckon that myself & albie are both careful not to put compromising or sensitive info into the www mediasphere or casually toss around data which can be used to engage in identity theft.

fer instance, I only put a ______________________(blank space) in place of potentially sensitive numbers...which i later hand-print in, when i sign the correspondence...then send via snail mail !!
there are drawbacks in keeping my info 'private'
...such as i do not have pay-pal accounts,
i do not buy with credit cards on-line,
or all those other shortcuts which make commerce 'easy'...
there's a price to pay, for 'ease'..............which I chose not to buy into

so, therefore, we come in a circle to the idealine that albie put forward,
i.e. I havn't anything to data-mine and i therefore don't have any qualms about google, or whoever, getting access to my keystrokes & keeping that data for 30 days or whatever...

PS since most everything percipitates into the financial realm,
have youse seen what google stock has done lately?

Well sure, identity theft is a possible. But all that info is stored somewhere already. There was a case recently over here in Englishland of hundreds of social service accounts being stolen and used. If they aren't safe, who is.

And can google actually gain access to such material? Surely is it encrypted.

Honestly, does anyone here think their Google searches will get them in trouble.

If so, give some examples of what you searched for, and you are afraid it will come back to haunt you.

I can't ever see getting in trouble for searching and learning about something.

The only thing I can think a person getting in trouble is for little kids, and you should get in trouble.

I do sometimes do a search on words like 'Soapy bowel intrusion.'

Or 'Itchy bladder priest.'


Is it so wrong!?

That's my point, if they want to know about your bowel movements let them.

I wonder if a reptile version of Bush is sifting through my enema files right now.

What a tract that must be. Hardy ha ha.

Why does Google need to store this information? I doubt terrorists and criminals use Google desktop, especially if this is a public feature of it. Idiots.
'

[edit on 14/2/2006 by SwearBear]