Is Google a threat to privacy?

[Glom]

I heard some news that Google are going to scour the web for information about what you search and what you buy and use that to form a profile of you that will be publically accessible.

How are they going to collect this information?

[snarkophilus]

I heard some news that Google are going to scour the web for information about what you search and what you buy and use that to form a profile of you that will be publically accessible.

How are they going to collect this information?

Are going to? You mean they don't do most of that already? I'd be very surprised if not.

I would think that every time you type the words "bad astronomy moon hoax" into a Google search box, a little counter next to the terms "bad astronomy," "astronomy," "moon," "hoax," and "moon hoax" get incremented. Then those numbers get sold to people.

Now, that they'd form a profile of an individual and publicly distribute that seems very unlikely, especially given their history for being picky about privacy. Maybe they'd let you build your own profile, and do the search, and then approve what gets displayed....

[korjik]

by using their search engine? Sorry couldnt help it.

they could just buy info lists on what you do. they most likely already record all the searches you do on google, so it wouldnt be hard to start there.

I want to know how they plan on confirming ID when they start posting your behavoir without your permission. Someone swiping unsecure wireless, or on someone elses 'puter could lead to unflattering info that seems to come from you. Since employers are already starting to look at blogs and finding reasons to fire/not hire, just imagine what someone hacking your puter and using it as a viagra selling zombie would make you look like.

[jkmccrann]

I think the further we move into the 21st century the less we can worry about a concept such as privacy. The fact is - it is disappearing and there is nothing anyone can really do about it.

You have to consider any activity you undertake on a computer is not a private action and can be traced to you, and these records will only keep growing over the course of your life. The only way to avoid this is to always use computers in internet cafes - and then, never log into any accounts you may have on the Internet! Which basically makes it very hard to get anything done!

Although you can still conduct research of all types online completely anonymously (as long as you're using a computer at a public location or internet cafe), there's not much else you can do without it being traced back and linked to you - and nor should you expect that anything else you do will not be traced back to you. I'm certainly well aware of this when doing things online, but it seems the younger generation often doesn't consider this when ranting about things on forums/myspace pages or via email from the personal account etc.

It does amaze me how naive people are when it comes to this sort of thing really.

[Pinemarten]

If you remove cookies from your sys daily/hourly does that help?

[LurchGS]

If you remove cookies from your sys daily/hourly does that help?

not in the least, I'm afraid. cookies are kept locally, whereas tracking this kind of info would be server stored

[Pinemarten]

It is done through IP address then?

[LurchGS]

taht would be the obvious way, yes. In these days of broadband, you rarely change your IP address

[Pinemarten]

I know a way. Should I PM you with it?;)

[snarkophilus]

Even changing IP probably isn't enough, though. First of all, your computer sends out all sorts of information when you make an http request (or any TCP connection). It's not really my area, and I don't want to say anything untrue, so look it up yourself, but your machine can probably be identified by that information alone.

And even if not, if you provide enough search requests, and that information is coupled with limited IP data, sophisticated data mining algorithms can probably pick out your behaviour. That's a lot of effort, though.

[Fazor]

Yeah but is it really a threat to privacy? Knee-jerk reaction to "you're being tracked" is that it's bad. The mark of the beast. Big brother. Etc. But who cares if they tailor ads and services based on your interests? Sounds like a convienance to me.

A bigger threat to privacy would be them keeping a database of all the ccard#'s, passwords, private identifiers (ssn, mother's maiden name, etc), etc. As far as, say, finding yourself in court and your browsing habits becoming evidence...well, they can and do already do that. While it's possible to wipe your HDD's free of that data, most people don't routinely do it throughouly enough to keep them from being able to access it. As far as criminal exploitation; I don't see any real big threat from them being able to access my browsing habits. Are there situations where it could be used for criminal activity? Probably, criminals are ingenious. Are they any worse that what criminals already do? No, not really.

Besides, with all the hidden trackers and adware and the like out there today, most people whether they like it or not are already being "profiled". So the "bad guys" already have this data. I don't see the harm in Google having it as well.

[Argos]

I think the further we move into the 21st century the less we can worry about a concept such as privacy. The fact is - it is disappearing and there is nothing anyone can really do about it.

I think you´ve said it all. Privacy is increasingly looking like a primitive concept, something incompatible with [post]modern times. We´ll have to make a choice at some point. I think we´ll have to give up most of our privay in order to enjoy the wonders of modernity [not that I feel much happy about it].

[Fazor]

I think you´ve said it all. Privacy is increasingly looking like a primitive concept, something incompatible with [post]modern times. I think this is a fallacy. How much privacy was there historically? Before cars and roads and telephones, when everyone lived in close, generally multigenerational family environments? Everyone knew everyone's business. Privacy is a rather modern invention. I'm also fairly certain that issues such as this particular one are not the result of decreased privacy, but rather the result of an increased expectation of privacy .

[NEOWatcher]

... How much privacy was there historically? Before cars and roads and telephones, when everyone lived in close, generally multigenerational family environments? Everyone knew everyone's business. Privacy is a rather modern invention...
Hmm :think: that got me thinking.
I think you're right, but the problem is, the damage that could be done now is extensive. In the old days, when somebody said "I am Joe", everybody new darn well it wasn't Joe.

[Fazor]

Hmm :think: that got me thinking.
I think you're right, but the problem is, the damage that could be done now is extensive. In the old days, when somebody said "I am Joe", everybody new darn well it wasn't Joe.

That's part two of the equation. With the explosion of credit and loan programs, as well as the emergance of a much more isolated society, it's easy and common for ner'do'wellers to use this information for unlawfull purposes. I'm not saying that private information should not be protected. What I'm saying is that, in general, our perception of what information constitutes as private has greatly changed. We now expect our medical history to be private. We don't want people knowing how much money we make, or how we spend it. We don't like people tracking who we hang out with or what we like to do in our spare time. These are all things that would have most likely been known by at least a handfull of your neighbors and local merchants not 100 years ago.

[isidoor rabi]

The vanishing of privacy is scary!
It is a cheap trade in to deliver your persona (or what is perseived as it!) for a few cent worth of "customer sevices".
Is America still the land of the free?
Data-security /private-ownership-of-personal-data seems to count for little in the leading internet nation.
Instead of beeing in the hand of the One Big Brother we are ever more falling prey to a gready consumer industry.
And mainstream culture seems to embrace just that with a throbbing heart.
I for one loved the British for their invention of privacy (My home is my castle/Keep a stiff upper lip/No sex please, we are English/and all that.....)
I see that this is not the right forum for a detailed discussion on this.
Does anyone here know such a place with educated members?
Please link!

[isidoor rabi]

It is done through IP address then?
My provider allocates me a different IP address (from a fixed pool) for any single session. But of course if you register somewhere, accept cookies.... you get transparent to the degree anyone is willing to muster an efford (or bend the few rules).
There was one clever guy called Lenin who gave us (among other fine things ) the wise rule that nobody should be trusted blindly.
I would think, that's the good version of Leninism :)

[Moose]

You can still track people uniquely through their MAC address, if your server is rigged to look at the network packets. That is generally more persistent.

[isidoor rabi]

So the game is lost for us?

[korjik]

So the game is lost for us?

dont go online?

[isidoor rabi]

Your typo will get reported!

[Pinemarten]

The vanishing of privacy is scary!
It is a cheap trade in to deliver your persona (or what is perseived as it!) for a few cent worth of "customer sevices".
Is America still the land of the free?
Data-security /private-ownership-of-personal-data seems to count for little in the leading internet nation.
Instead of beeing in the hand of the One Big Brother we are ever more falling prey to a gready consumer industry.
And mainstream culture seems to embrace just that with a throbbing heart.
I for one loved the British for their invention of privacy (My home is my castle/Keep a stiff upper lip/No sex please, we are English/and all that.....)
I see that this is not the right forum for a detailed discussion on this.
Does anyone here know such a place with educated members?
Please link!

I see no problem discussing it on this board. This thread seems appropriate; and I don't think the OP would mind. They may wish the courtesy of being asked permission though.

[Kullat Nunu]

I wonder which of these cars (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=37.838089,-122.474127&spn=0.046161,0.107803&z=14&om=1&layer=c&cbll=37.814801,-122.478024&cbp=2,159.884539152446,0.56839259861803,1) is BA's (http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2007/05/25/goodbye-california/).

Introducing Street View, an incredible new feature @ Google Maps.

[LurchGS]

Privacy is cultural - take, for instance, Japan. From all I read, what they consider private, *I* would consider 'living in my pocket"

As a provider, I'm certainly more aware of the invasiveness than the average Joe. I don't put sensitive information (however I define it) on my computer, I always use the highest possible encryption, and I never use Windows to hit the internet.

[snarkophilus]

In the old days, when somebody said "I am Joe", everybody new darn well it wasn't Joe.

Well, unless you moved more than a day's travel away. Then nobody would know you, and nobody would really check. It was way easier to build yourself a fake identity back before we had an assortment of government-issued numbers and photo ID.

[NEOWatcher]

Well, unless you moved more than a day's travel away. Then nobody would know you, and nobody would really check. It was way easier to build yourself a fake identity back before we had an assortment of government-issued numbers and photo ID.
But, in that case, the consequences were not felt by the original Joe. You just ended up with two Joes, each with his own issues, unless the two crossed paths.


I see no problem discussing it on this board. This thread seems appropriate; and I don't think the OP would mind. They may wish the courtesy of being asked permission though.
I'm not sure to what point you are refering to. But; if I interpret the point of the post you respond to, I think the issue is that further details or the tone of that post indicates that the discussion could start to get a little to political for this board.
Otherwise, I will agree with you.

[Noclevername]

But, in that case, the consequences were not felt by the original Joe. You just ended up with two Joes, each with his own issues, unless the two crossed paths.

Unless Joe was a traveller too, and found himself in the same village taking the heat for the pseudo-Joe's actions....

[NEOWatcher]

Unless Joe was a traveller too, and found himself in the same village taking the heat for the pseudo-Joe's actions....
Depends on what those actions are.
Most of the actions would involve seeing Joe anyway, so unless they are look-alikes, Joe would only have to say "I'm not that Joe".

[Argos]

Is Google Street view (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/technology/01private.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) a threat to privacy?

[NEOWatcher]

Is Google Street view (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/technology/01private.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) a threat to privacy?
My strong feeling...NO. At least for a static view, if it were live, then I would have an issue. Would you like millions of people standing outside your house at all times? Otherwise its someone showing everyone a picture of your house. It's done, it's over, you don't have to keep watching over your shoulder.
Besides, what is the true meaning of "privacy"?

[peteshimmon]

I understand Google ranks its responce to a
search term or terms on the numbers of other
searches for those terms. It can be a bit
disconcerting therefore when you find one of
your items on this forum on the first page from
Google. But they do not state the number of
previous searches so I suppose it is only a
handful. Not millions which goes through your
mind:)

[Argos]

Google rank [the so-called pagerank] is based chiefly on incoming links [other sites linking to yours] and content.

A site high-rank like BAUT is visited several times a day by Googlebots, so i suppose all its content is indexed.

[Whirlpool]

Is Google Street view (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/technology/01private.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) a threat to privacy?


I don't think so .Google has helped a lot of users to locate places they are searching for and thinking that because it can zoom in your street or your house where you can be seen doing foolish things I think is a small percentage and negligible.

People uses Google Maps are interested solely in searching for places and locations they need to look into and NOT only to peep on someone's life.


:neutral:

[01101001]

People uses Google Maps are interested solely in searching for places and locations they need to look into and NOT only to peep on someone's life.

Solely?

Daily Vodcasts: Top 15 Google Street View Sightings (http://www.dailyvodcasts.com/?p=36329) (WARNING: some adult content)


Google’s Street View feature [...] has caused a new trend: StreetSpotting (we just invented that). We’ve gone through the avalanche of reports about funny, weird or even sexy things spotted on Street View, and chosen 15 that we like most.

Most are tame. Most are just oddities. A few could be embarrassing to their recognizable, Net-immortalized subjects.

[Doctor Know]

I heard somebody on the radio the other day who brought up the possibility of the obsessed stalker/rejected lover type using this service to track down the possible hiding places of their estranged mates. Even though it's not in real time it does show habits and patterns ....and license plates.

[Pinemarten]

Solely?

Daily Vodcasts: Top 15 Google Street View Sightings (http://www.dailyvodcasts.com/?p=36329) (WARNING: some adult content)



Most are tame. Most are just oddities. A few could be embarrassing to their recognizable, Net-immortalized subjects.

How do I add mine?
50°49'7.78"N 119°18'55.05"W

It's a 5 storey wooden pyramid I helped build for a rich guy to meditate in. No metal allowed, only wood, plastic, and glue.
He is a millionaire from Germany. You can't quite see the gate to the 120 acre property, but it has a video intercom.
He even had us install the gas and electric meters outside the gate. That cost a quite a bit.

That was back in 1997, I don't think he foresaw images being available on the net. It would be nice if it was high-res.

[Pinemarten]

I guess my privacy is toast to. Well, that of my '84 Caddy anyway:

53°32'27.52"N 113°25'48.26"W

[01101001]

Daily Vodcasts: Top 15 Google Street View Sightings How do I add mine?
50°49'7.78"N 119°18'55.05"W

I think first you'd have to wait until it was in the Google Street View database. Might be a while. The cited collection contains interesting images from street view, the new stuff.

There are other Google aerial image collections that might list it, though, like: List of interesting Google Maps satellite images (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Joshuapaquin/List_of_interesting_Google_Maps_satellite_images). The Giza Plateau pyramids (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=29.977612,31.132271&spn=0.006588,0.011029&t=k&hl=en) are listed; maybe the Kamloops pyramid (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=50%C2%B049'7.78%22N+119%C2%B018'55.05%22W&ie=UTF8&ll=50.818907,-119.315171&spn=0.001491,0.004002&t=k&z=18&om=1) should be listed, too.

[sarongsong]

Good examples---hmmh, just discovered I could magnify or reduce the images by moving the scroll-wheel on the top of my mouse forward or reverse, while the cursor is on the image.

[mickal555]

You could always use JAP...

[sarongsong]

...which is?

[Kullat Nunu]

Google Sightseeing blog: Privacy Advocate Caught Red Handed. Again. (http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/14/privacy-advocate-caught-red-handed-again/)

So if you're going to smoke in secret, do it that in a dark cellar.

[Kullat Nunu]

Google Sightseeing blog: Street Fight (http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/06/16/street-fight/)


Here in central San Francisco, it seems there’s a violent drama unfolding as the Google Street View car passes by. A bit of friendly rough and tumble, or a more serious altercation? You be the judge…

[Doodler]

Yeah but is it really a threat to privacy? Knee-jerk reaction to "you're being tracked" is that it's bad. The mark of the beast. Big brother. Etc. But who cares if they tailor ads and services based on your interests? Sounds like a convienance to me.

The last thing I need is a legitimized chucklehead mass mailing me with an unholy number of spam emails on these great deals.

See, as an informed online shopper, I know how to find them already. These guys can hang themselves in a server room with CAT-5 cable.