Google, and what they're doing

[crofbe]

*I didn't want to put this in the gadgets thread cause it's more of an ethical issue than what the technology is.

There's a "conspiracy"-type website at http://www.google-watch.org/. It's kind of long, and I haven't looked through most of it, but some things themes definitely are worth mentioning. In particular, "personalized data" and how their search programs will eventually target each user as some sort of "profile" which should be exploited for $$.


Gmail: this idea "don't delete" and the fact that google keeps the deleted messages anyway...
Web Accelerator: a new function. Basically users will be retrieving information off of Google's servers, which means they'll know passwords, "private messages" on message boards, etc. A specific website deriding this feature is at http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=2858.


We've grown so dependent on google - is the relevant question here, so long as google's "cool" ideas are not really so cool anymore in the business context, what is google's liability to the average webuser's happiness, or that, if google (or something similar) is inevitable, what does it say about our future? Does the old-fashioned opinion of "privacy is a good thing" mean anything in the context of "give me everything I want because it's cool?"

Any thoughts about google in general?

[Ka.avik]

They have to make money. Information is the gold mine of today; the hot buzzword. Google itself isn't evil IMHO but what frightens me just a little is that where google gets all its money to research more cool things is licensing their data-mining techniques to companies that are far less scrupulous, such as creditcard underwriters. Dunno, maybe they have such stuff already -- they're the ones who have the most to gain from invasive datamining.

[YardGnome]

Big Brother is watching

[BHZA]

The bigger they are the harder they fall.

They will be able to rule the internet with an iron fist until the opressed begin to revolt..

[euterpenc]

Can't we just not use google?

[Sally]

Can't we just not use google?

Blasphemy.

[file cabinet]

Can't we just not use google?

I like gmail. one thing I like about msn is their search. I sort of have this placed bookmarked because the search results are actually a little better/ up-to-date.
I also just changed my homepage to see how I will like having msn as my default search... which also has some feeds(click on "Show" if it doesn't appear):
http://www.start.com/1/
the start.com site is some project being done and it has a frontend to the msn search... so yeah......
......

edit: I think I decided I don't like it.

[garak]

So uh, don't use gmail and the web accelerator thing? They can't be big brother to you if you don't buy into their services.

[2ds]

google are a bunch of faacists.

-2ds

[Claverhouse]

From the second link:


I'm having to pay a coder just to figure out how to prevent Google from caching all the webpages on our forums. Why is this a problem? Well first of all, it's a giant security hole, as private forums for mods and admins can now be viewed by anybody. (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1550469) Thanks Google, thank you very much for sharing our sensitive information with the entire Internet, without even giving warning or notice to any parties involved! Secondly, our forums offer a private messaging feature, where users can send messages to each other which can only be read by them. It's like AIM or ICQ, but through a webpage. If you're using Google's Web Accelerator - guess what? - now anybody can read your private messages! Cookies, logins, sensitive information, private messages - they're all stored on Google's servers now, and they're all available for anybody on the Internet to read. Something Awful Forums

So it does affect forums like this whether or not individuals here use the Google implements.

For those who wondered whether mods/admins could read their PMs, the answer is no; but the rest of the world can in a year or so.




Claverhouse :ph34r:


[ Anyway, Fravia (http://www.searchlores.org/basic.htm), the expositor of web-searching, claims that Google Search Engine only finds one third of available web-pages: still, I've found his recommended engine AlltheWeb is not that good, always throwing up US Govt. pages unrelated to that which you seek. ]

[s]

I just love Google too much...

[cries]

[CoHo]

So it does affect forums like this whether or not individuals here use the Google implements.

It only affects when someone using/viewing the forum is using google's web accelerator

[Claverhouse]

It only affects when someone using/viewing the forum is using google's web accelerator
And your point is... ?



Claverhouse :ph34r:

[Spartan26]

I think the morality also relates to the buyers. I've work for companies that had to purchase marketing lists. Had to query companies to find the best rates and guarantees. I'd ask how current is the list, what's all included, (title, ph #, company revenue, etc) but not once did I ask how did you comprise the list.

Sure they'd say they couldn't say to protect their market, but there was never any discloser about all entries on the list approve of their info being released. Google wouldn't waste it's time with this if companies didn't pay hansomly for it.

[Partial Observer]

This is all terribly ironic considering Google's unofficial motto is 'don't be evil'.

[indie]

I think Google is getting a little big-headed. It hasn't even been a year since the IPO of their stock and the price has more than doubled. I think the IPO was set at $100 or so, and today the stock trades for $230 a share or something. That wouldn't be so wierd, except that Google has this strange system of reporting to shareholders . .. eh, whatever.

[Jacque]

That wouldn't be so wierd, except that Google has this strange system of reporting to shareholders . .. eh, whatever.

What? They google their own profit earnings?

[earwax]

I hate to point out the obvious, but... The internet is fair game. This is not a private medium. On the contrary, it is quite public. Be aware of anything "free". Nobody is out there to help you out of the kindness of their heart.

[shum]

I think Google is getting a little big-headed. It hasn't even been a year since the IPO of their stock and the price has more than doubled. I think the IPO was set at $100 or so, and today the stock trades for $230 a share or something. That wouldn't be so wierd, except that Google has this strange system of reporting to shareholders . .. eh, whatever.

i know. i told my dad to invest in google. he didnt.

is it too late?