Google: From being great and loved, to becoming dangerous.

[Valkasdar]

Actually one of the reasons I still use Google is because of it's un-cluttered webpage. When I load a search engine, I don't want what the weather is 500miles from me, or some news article about albino baby crocodiles found in a toaster or some junk like that. I want to find what I'm looking for and be gone. With a few firefox plugin's I don't get annoyed by googles ads and irrelevant searches. So they have my data stored away, in the real world I'm such an uninteresting person I'll blend in with the 5.5 billion other uninteresting people in the world. Is there a chance that some cracker is going to step in and steal my identity? sure, why would he want to though, my credit sucks, I don't have any money, the time they did something I could undo it. Besides, there is a chance I could get into a car accident, it doesn't stop me from driving.

I'll agree with you that the whole situation is a little disconcerting about what is available about you out there, but really, if someone really wants to get to know all about you, they can easily do it through social engineering or dumpster diving.

Any large corporation becomes dangerous, I'm yet to see one that hasn't gotten into trouble for some shady dealings. Just check out wikileaks.org if you really want to see some interesting things done by large corporations. I used to be paranoid about all this stuff, then I realized, you know what, despite my delusions of grandeur, I'm just not that important to the continued functioning of the world for someone to show a personal interest me (other than my wife, she'd like to see my bank account statments)

But what about ppl who are not so common like you :O who have money in their credit nad doing some ilegal stuff for example ? nope they are not safe... but they want to (and not all the ilegal stuff is bad :O)

[Cereal_Killer]

Big Brother is watching you!

[Priam]

Big Brother is watching you!

exactly.

[Valkasdar]

Big Brother is watching you!

Its sad

In my city there is no school without security cameras, there is no big shoping street without cameras, no hospital, no nothing with out cameras on every 5 step you make :O I`m seriously...
Before like.... 3-4 years the only sec cams was in shops and privet things like that but... everywhear and controled and watched by the police in town. There was a strike against that but the cams are even more now

And yeah.. there are even cams in the skate park can you bealive it :O lol

[PileOfMush]

It's not Google that's dangerous.

When you use an online service, you are putting your data into their hands. You are relinquishing your privacy willingly. Why do so many people assume that they are entitled to privacy when they give away so much information to these corporations on a daily basis?

Google is no different than any other large company. They exist to make profit and will utilize all of their available resources to do so. One of Google's biggest resources is the enormous amount of data they collect from the web or from people like me, who use their services for searching, email, etc.

People assume that using the internet somehow makes them anonymous or that the vastness of the internet will afford them privacy... or maybe they're willingly giving up privacy and anonymity for convenience.

At my office, our employees know that we can monitor them both on the computers and on the phones, and yet it doesn't change their behavior one bit. They go to check their personal bank accounts online knowing we have the ability to capture their usernames and passwords. The convenience the internet offers completely overrides any of their privacy concerns.

The biggest danger to the privacy of internet users is themselves... their own choices and their own behavior. And then, when they discover that someone has "stolen their identity", what do they do? They ask the corporations and the government to do more to protect them. So even more data gets collected... more cameras get put up... more phone calls get recorded... and more people complain they have no privacy.

[Colb]

Oh noes, teh Google Monster is goinz to come getz me while I iz sleepzingz

[Nuklear]

I skimmed over the thread assuming it's the usual google fearmongering. Someone brought up the fact that the govt might force google to give info. I don't exactly know how they can demand that, but in that case google isn't the bad guy, the govt is. Also, you really don't have a right to privacy on the net. Some sites might insure they won't use your info but it stops there. If someone's determined to find out where I live it won't be very hard. I usually use google, but when I don't it's mahalo.
Worrying almost never does any good.

[Priam]

google provides a huge platform for the govt in that case tbh, which indirectly links it all together.

[Priam]

Another thing, Google might be making us stupid !

The article is a bit worthy, your warned, so no 'i didn't reat it blabla' posts.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google

[[SD]Master_Wong]

if your that bothered why dont you just not use google there are plenty of other search engines

microsoft done the same yet im not scare to use a pc

[Priam]

if your that bothered why dont you just not use google there are plenty of other search engines

microsoft done the same yet im not scare to use a pc

Not the point of this thread, it's a discussion, not judgement day.


Just bumped it with new article which has proven itself to be a good read. For me anyways.

[ThatBluePerson]

I hereby pledge to stop using Google to search.

[woutR]

I'm going to have a debate about Internet Neutrality in my Dutch class. (It's basically about your debating skills, but you have to have proper facts, other ICT teachers will be there too)

So maybe I'll have something useful to say once we've finished researching and preparing for that.

[[SD]Master_Wong]

tbh i think its good that they want to grow to challenge microsoft anyways which is the better of the 2 evils?

then again they also say stick with the evil you know

[John_Doe]

Unless you have something to hide, don't see why google would be considered a monster?

[Ramrod]

When you state so called 'facts' about google, please make sure you cite the webpages you got the information from, so we know its legitimate.

[whiteraven]

next step of google?

abuse all the logged info for more profit?

euhm im studying marketing and my marketing research teacher told me some shit about it ,, when google makes software to intrepetate the logged info,, and deliver advertising directly to interrested customers (read: IP's who used certain keywords,, more or less the same as the advertising is about),, they will earn ever more $$$$$$ as they do already now,, and company's would earn more $$$$$ because it reaches more customers.



google is becoming and hot item in the news more and more, read it in the paper last weak, +/- 2 weeks ago there was the descision google may only keep their logged info for 3 months (dont :o, thats really short,, time ago they kept the logged info for alot longer) new laws made it harder for google to abuse their position ,, most likely there will be another big search engine for people who incist on their privacy when everybody understands google is some sort of big brother on the internet

[Squirt]

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008

Google is also making a new headquarters in china I believe

[/Pi]

It doesn't stop there. Google has the answer to life the universe and everything:

http://www.google.com/search?q=answer+t ... US282&aq=t

[crazyskwrls]

there is a new search engine called cuil that supposedly give x5 results as google, but more doesnt mean better

http://www.cuil.com

[chesticles]

there is a new search engine called cuil that supposedly give x5 results as google, but more doesnt mean better

http://www.cuil.com

Pretty cool. I like the layout and results. Hmm i might start the culi revolution xP

[Zypher]

lol cuil sux

[Draquish]

lol cuil sux

I second that.

[Priam]

When you state so called 'facts' about google, please make sure you cite the webpages you got the information from, so we know its legitimate.

Your right, i made all that up, i'm a great storyteller. And i have a secret grudge against google, i'm actually planning to take them down, ofcourse the place to start such a riot, is SRF.

Did you notice the sarcasm?



Anyways, the info is legit, i just was too lazy back then to post links.

Parts of it need an update. E.g. That google heroicly refuses to provide information to several goverment agency's. Which i think was one of my points back then.

The fact that they are getting bigger and less organised, less focussed on there search engine and therefore more likely to make mistakes, however i believe still remains.

[Ramrod]

When you state so called 'facts' about google, please make sure you cite the webpages you got the information from, so we know its legitimate.

Your right, i made all that up, i'm a great storyteller. And i have a secret grudge against google, i'm actually planning to take them down, ofcourse the place to start such a riot, is SRF.

Did you notice the sarcasm?



Anyways, the info is legit, i just was too lazy back then to post links.

Parts of it need an update. E.g. That google heroicly refuses to provide information to several goverment agency's. Which i think was one of my points back then.

The fact that they are getting bigger and less organised, less focussed on there search engine and therefore more likely to make mistakes, however i believe still remains.

If you want people to believe the facts you've stated above, links to the proof of these facts should be posted so we can cross reference. I'm sure they taught you that in school when you started writing your first papers.

You don't need to be a **** about it, but if you posted this anywhere else then a forum full of 12 year olds you would need to cite your sources.

[chesticles]

If cuil had come first u all wouldnt say that lol but yea im still gonna be using google i dont like change

[Priam]

When you state so called 'facts' about google, please make sure you cite the webpages you got the information from, so we know its legitimate.

Your right, i made all that up, i'm a great storyteller. And i have a secret grudge against google, i'm actually planning to take them down, ofcourse the place to start such a riot, is SRF.

Did you notice the sarcasm?



Anyways, the info is legit, i just was too lazy back then to post links.

Parts of it need an update. E.g. That google heroicly refuses to provide information to several goverment agency's. Which i think was one of my points back then.

The fact that they are getting bigger and less organised, less focussed on there search engine and therefore more likely to make mistakes, however i believe still remains.

If you want people to believe the facts you've stated above, links to the proof of these facts should be posted so we can cross reference. I'm sure they taught you that in school when you started writing your first papers.

You don't need to be a **** about it, but if you posted this anywhere else then a forum full of 12 year olds you would need to cite your sources.

Once more, i'm offering all this up for discussion. You could have made your own effort into just, well, google-ing a pair of keywords, and be enlightened by the fact that i'm not making it all up. Again, i'm not searching for old links, simply to please your little mind, i'm too lazy, and it hardly seems worth it since you're not really looking like a nice contributing person, nor the person whom is gonna bring something new to this discussion. Shame.

This is not school, i'm not obliged into doing anything of the sort.

Anyways, if any ' 12 y/o ' has something usefull to mention, feel free.