There’s been a lot of discussion over the amount of data Google collects and what it does with it. This has led to a lot of discussion over what Google COULD do with all that data, especially if it decides to join up with the government (or the government forces it to). This Slashdot story about what Julian Assange thinks is typical (for the not so typical and sinister, see this comment in that thread that asserts that Google is building a dossier on YOU right now).
With all the data at its disposal, and it being a for profit company, where do you think Google is going? It’s pretty sure that the government is already interested in all of that data; how long before the two get into bed together, if they haven’t already? Are you concerned?
The perfectly legal stuff they do is already annoying – pop-up ads tailored to my most recent searches, etc.
But, no, I’m not worried. If the government wanted to gather that kind of data, they wouldn’t bother with Google-style collection. They’d hook the NSA’s supercomputers directly up, and record everyone’s traffic, IP addresses, and all.
It’s like people who worried about supermarket discount cards leading to some vast invasion of their privacy. Supermarkets and Google are pikers compared to the really big boys.
I didn’t think Google did pop-up ads. Has this changed recently? They always did text-only ads in the past.
The US government and Google almost certainly have some sort of arrangement - although that arrangement might be “give us data or else”. AT&T back in the day had an arrangement with the NSA, and the only thing that has changed since is the scope of surveillance and the names of the companies involved.
I’m somewhat concerned about Google, but also about Facebook. More than that, I’m concerned about entities I’ve never heard of who probably have a similar mass of data about me.
Being a for-profit company, I imagine they want to keep making profits. Handing over all of their data to the government doesn’t really seem to be in their best interest. Also, take this for what you will.
Because they area actually watching what you do all the time. Like, at this very moment in Mountain View, there’s a nerd who is telling you to get your finger out of there.