is anyone else concerned?

[ls377]

...Yet.

Using Street View – Google Maps with Street View

 

[Chrisy]

Yeah, who takes the photos for street view? The one of myhouse is over 4 years old now. I wonder if/when it will be updated...and who takes those pics!

 

[zhelf]

Yeah, who takes the photos for street view? The one of much house is over 4 years old now. I wonder if/when it will be updated...and who takes those pics!

google does they drive around with the street view cars that take the 360 degree pictures they probably are most concerned with changing area re doing the streets etc.

 

[Chrisy]

This reminds me of a thought in a political book I read that we, as a society, have to give up some freedom for security.

We give up a lot of privacy for the ability to use technology too.

In digital world, we trade privacy for convenience - CNN

 

[MazoMark]

where's the option in gmail to prevent computer bots from scanning private messages looking for keywords to market towards advertisers? didn't see an option for that. in 2010, google made over 30% of its revenue through advertising. why did it take 2 years for a delete button to be implemented in gmail from the date of its launch? where's the option to not allow google to intermittently save drafts of emails being written on their remote servers for an "indefinite amount of time" regardless of if the email was ever sent or not?

and how in the hell could they have "accidentally" gathered emails and passwords from open wifi networks using their innocent street cars? that was never an option either.

I am not concerned at all. Anyone using a mobile device with GPS capability and/or WiFi should assume their location and surfing information is public. You can opt out of location services if you want. If you really don't like Google or anyone else being able to track your whereabouts or use patterns online - don't use a smartphone, GPS, or web. Make all you calls on land lines, don't use GPS, and don't use the web. And enjoy a really, dull, life.

 

[Chrisy]

Realistically, all they are doing is trying to target us for specific ads. It's not that big a deal to me. I'd rather have ads I'm interested in anyway. Thy aren't doing anything devious with our keyword info.

 

[crxssi]

Lately, Google's reputation has taken quite a hit as their unofficial motto of "Don't be Evil" has been shown to be perhaps just a front [...]

Does ANYONE else see this? [...].

Yes. You are not alone. I am greatly concerned by how much power and information Google is gaining. I am amazed at the people who simply respond with "I don't care" or "whatever" or "I have nothing to hide" and continue to hand over more and more information to a single company without any clue what is being done with it, how long it is retained, who it is shared with, etc.

Like many people, I have a love/hate relationship with Google. So although I use Android, and I use Google for ALL my searching, I tend to split up my other services between different companies (I have no Google money-related account, I don't use my gmail account, I don't use gtalk, etc).

 

[lexs]

there is a great quote: "nothing is free, even death (costs your life)"
I use gmail, google search, gtalk, android, maps and youtube and what do I pay? I pay with my information which is used to target me with ads.
To everyone who says google is spying on me etc. YOU ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT, no one f***ing cares who you are, they just want to sell ads. So stop whining or stop using google services.

 

[bragos]

Google just wants to know what kind of socks and beverages you buy. No one cares who you are.

where's the option in gmail to prevent computer bots from scanning private messages looking for keywords to market towards advertisers? didn't see an option for that. in 2010, google made over 30% of its revenue through advertising. why did it take 2 years for a delete button to be implemented in gmail from the date of its launch? where's the option to not allow google to intermittently save drafts of emails being written on their remote servers for an "indefinite amount of time" regardless of if the email was ever sent or not?

and how in the hell could they have "accidentally" gathered emails and passwords from open wifi networks using their innocent street cars? that was never an option either.

 

[bboykin87]

This doesn't really bother me either, I am not doing anything illegal, so I really don't care if they know where I am, as far as collecting information, someone is always watching, whether it's google, apple, your isp, or whomever, you cannot transmit data without someone seeing it, or having the ability to see it.

If they did track what i did on my phone, a lot of times it would lead right back to them lol... i read about android a lot...

 

[jdbower]

Scanning emails for keywords and inserting ads is no different that what email servers did before, scanning your email looking for keywords looking for spam. If it means I get GMail for free with effectively unlimited storage and fantastic spam filters I'm all for it.

Regarding capturing WiFi data - this is all stuff anyone off the street could do. They didn't hack into any networks, they just connected to open, unsecured WiFi networks. You know, like the kind you get at Starbucks. The real shame is that they didn't name the service providers who don't use HTTPS for logins let alone email transmissions like GMail does. Borderline criminal is the legislators who have this data not pointing out the medical facilities with open WiFi networks they're transferring records over. Google captured more data than they expected (probably due to a poorly written or misunderstood requirement from a developer) and they voluntarily announced their mistake and cooperated with the authorities - what could they have handled better?

Google's a business just like all the others, they're in it to make money. You know what, that's exactly why I do my job as well.

 

[brewstermax#AC]

Yes, all of your Android phones are members of the Thought Police. In fact, every time you touch your computer, a Party member is ratting you out. I wouldn't be worrying about Google, and their habits. I would worry about your own government...

 

[HardcorePooka]

Call me paranoid

Okay. You're paranoid.




But really, I'm not worried about this. Yes, Google has access to lots of information about me. I'd rather them have it than the black hats out there who would steal my money/identity/girlfriend/dog...

If having that information provides better search results for me, better email, and just over all better services? Yeah, I'm not going to complain. Google doesn't have my social security number, they don't know what I just had for dinner, and honestly... I wouldn't care if they knew one of those. It was pizza google... make sure to note that down in my file. I like pizza.

 

[Analog]

The answer to your question is yes. In among the idiots and the apathetic (and, to be fair, a few people who can actually present cogent arguments as to why they don't think it's a big deal), there are a growing number of people who can clearly perceive Google's slide into creepiness and unethical behavior.

To call it evil is, of course, necessarily to be at least a little bit tongue-in-cheek--just as Google was being tongue-in-cheek when they came up with the slogan. What we are seeing here isn't true evil. It's a bunch of human beings in charge of a very large corporation throwing their ideals out the window one by one out of sheer terror of being pushed to the side of the road by some other, even less ethical company.

 

[thunderstruck]

Regarding them tracking by IP-use TOR if you are concerned about privacy.

 

[Dark_Blu]

Well, I'm definitely concerned. Google might accidentally stumble upon my membership in the league of super villains and my plan for world domination. LOL!!!!! But all kidding aside, the amount of data Google has on me would only creep me out if I was dating a chick who works for Google and thankfully, Google is on the other side of the country and has no offices in Atlanta, GA.... I think....

 

[Dark_Blu]

I am not concerned at all. Anyone using a mobile device with GPS capability and/or WiFi should assume their location and surfing information is public. You can opt out of location services if you want. If you really don't like Google or anyone else being able to track your whereabouts or use patterns online - don't use a smartphone, GPS, or web. Make all you calls on land lines, don't use GPS, and don't use the web. And enjoy a really, dull, life.

I'd rather Google have this info than Apple. Steve Jobs is CREEPY!!!!

 

[Dark_Blu]

there is a great quote: "nothing is free, even death (costs your life)"
I use gmail, google search, gtalk, android, maps and youtube and what do I pay? I pay with my information which is used to target me with ads.
To everyone who says google is spying on me etc. YOU ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT, no one f***ing cares who you are, they just want to sell ads. So stop whining or stop using google services.

Google can spy on me if they want. They'll be bored to death until a record company signs me. Then they will always know where the party is, where the girls are, and where my Dodge Charger is parked. LOL!!!!

 

[Dark_Blu]

i side with the "it doesn't matter to me crowd". no men in black knocking at my door for any reason.

Say what? Did you hear something? It sounded like a knock on the door!! LOL!!!

 

[Dark_Blu]

OK, what if Google is/was safe, but is our information safe with them? Look at the issues Sony is having right now for example.

And what if Google is really a plan hatched by Aliens to take over the world? Kidding of course. But if we're going to be paranoid about what Google is doing, we can extend that to other areas. Sure, keywords in emails and searches lead to targeted ads, but I haven't seen anything yet to scare me into thinking that's Google tailing me on my way to work daily, or whatever. Seriously. If I was going to be freaked out over what I thought anyone may or may not be doing against me, I'd need drugs or alcohol just to function and believe me, things really aren't that bad. Switch to decaf, get more sleep, and have more sex. Everything will be fine.