Google Finally Has the U.S. By the Balls

Google is outside our system of checks and balances. They are quickly becoming absolutely necessary for our government to function, but their operations are not transparent and are outside the control of the American people.

http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2009-12-25-n64.html (thx for tip)

http://philosecurity.org/2009/12/24/our-google-government

Privacy? Get Over It.

Schmidt concedes, surprise surprise, that our privacy is no longer sacred:

"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place, but if you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines including Google do retain this information for some time, and it's important, for example that we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act. It is possible that that information could be made available to the authorities."

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/eric-schmidt-google-and-privacy-2009-12-11

Personalized Search for Everyone Destroys Search Privacy

With Google's personalized search feature for everyone, Google has lowered the bar again on privacy.

Now personalized search is specific to your computer, not your secure login.

Google has once again taken away your privacy. Unless you turn the feature off, you no longer have complete control from hiding your searches from other Google users on your computer. The only way to make this feature to go away is to do this.

I advise Google to make the default OFF, not on, and let the user decide if he or she wants to open up all his searches to everyone else.

Granted, with cookies and history in browsers being saved by default for the last decade, it's already a bit scary letting someone else use your computer, if you're searching for unsavory things.

But I think we all have a right to search for whatever we want, in the privacy of our own computers.

UPDATE: I just tried to disable history-based customization this by falling the steps by clicking on web history on the search results page, but could not figure it out. Go figure.

Google Adds Speed to Internet and Power to Itself

First search, then Google Ads, then Google Docs, then Google Chome, then Go, then Google Chrome OS, now SPDY. What do these all have in common?

It's the same game Google has played and won before. Killer product attracts users, compel them to make a switch. It's Apple's model too. But it's only Microsoft's motto, however they can't execute because they're just not nimble anymore.

If Google's SPDY is able to compel the "Internet" to move from HTTP after 13 years of limitations, Google truly will own the internet. Corporations should not be allowed to create these web standards or protocols alone, since the one who invents will have the competitive advantage over all others.

This will of course set off alarms at Microsoft, which would not be happy with Google owning the protocol through which all Web sites are transmitted. --switched.com

http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/google-looks-to-boost-web-speeds-with-spdy/

I have never seen a tech company have such clear vision, ability to influence the future, and so quickly monopolize the web. What happens inside those walls is far from transparent. Public companies should be required to be transparent not just on financials but on corporate responsibility.

Google Dashboard - More Questions than Answers

The new Google Dashboard seems to be one of those new 'transparency' functionalities that raises more concerning questions than provides helpful solutions to our real privacy concerns. I checked it out and it was pretty useless, and PC World agrees. What we really want is a simple privacy setting - public and private radio checkboxes. Visible versus invisible. Transparent versus hidden. I almost think Facebook gets it more than Google when it comes to public versus private information, though both companies should be watched more closely.

Google's blogpost was weird and insincere.

Thanks PC World for the good article.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/181636/google_dashboard_gives_you_a_degree_of_control.html

Spy Trike

It is not clear yet that Google admits or even knows that it is out to get us.

It started with the Google Street View cam.

Now they're going off road with their Google Spy Trike.

While this may not frighten you yet, it will within twenty years.

Imagine a day -- in 2020 -- when Google Street View cams and Google spy trikes are driving around every street, every sidewalk, every dirt road and mountain path, filming us all in real time.

Imagine a day not far from now when the camera on your Google Android /Chrome laptop or touch pad is watching you, recording your eye movements, recording your mouse clicks, and they're selling those clicks and eye movements to advertisers.