More Google privacy concerns
Google has released the next version of Google Desktop.
One feature of this new version is the ability to search amongst multiple computers.
This feature is implemented by you index data being copied up to the Google servers so that when you search your indexes are centrally stored.
See the problem?
Repetitive theme I know. I’ve ranted about this before in “Google’s point of failure“.
Google now has more private data on you.
I know, I know paranoid Delicate Genius at it again. But this time the EFF (the closest thing you have to a friend online) has warned against using it due to privacy concerns.
From a recent article entitled “Google Copies Your Hard Drive – Government Smiles in Anticipation – Consumers Should Not Use New Google Desktop“:
Google today announced a new “feature” of its Google Desktop software that greatly increases the risk to consumer privacy. If a consumer chooses to use it, the new “Search Across Computers” feature will store copies of the user’s Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets and other text-based documents on Google’s own servers, to enable searching from any one of the user’s computers. EFF urges consumers not to use this feature, because it will make their personal data more vulnerable to subpoenas from the government and possibly private litigants, while providing a convenient one-stop-shop for hackers who’ve obtained a user’s Google password.
Coming on the heels of serious consumer concern about government snooping into Google’s search logs, it’s shocking that Google expects its users to now trust it with the contents of their personal computers.
You have again been warned.
-dg
What’s an alternative to Google ?
Hmm, good question.
Unfortunately there isn’t a good answer to it.
You live in a world where you have no privacy.
Almost every major search engine captures such data on you and are bound to capitalise on it or give it to governments (as Microsoft and Yahoo! did recently).
The reason I rant about it so often is really so that general people are aware of it. Everyone should be aware of what they’re doing online and who is capturing data on them. Especially when using services which have access to highly personal data; such as this particular feature of Google Desktop or many of the “offline storage” services which a cropping up etc.
-dg