The fact that online companies collect data from its users is nothing new and hardly raises eyebrows. The companies state they have strict privacy measures and collect information solely to better understand its users so they can deliver more relevant services, data, results, offers or advertisements.
People are not comfortable in offering their information when it comes to direct marketing and tend to get aggressive when they feel their personal space is invaded. The online world however is changing such parameters and now redefining personal space. Services such as Google are always in the hit list of privacy advocates for collecting information and storing them for over years to analyze results from the millions of their users worldwide.
However the issue stands - what happens when people volunteer information to Google?
According to an article by Jamie Doward and David Smith, in the The Observer
· Users of Google's services must accept the company can retain a large quantity of information about them, often indefinitely.
· Google has access to additional personal information, including hobbies, employment, address, and phone number, from user profiles in its social networking service, Orkut.
· Google collects all search results from its Toolbar search service and identifies all users with a unique 'cookie' - information sent between a web browser and the server - that allows it to track users' web use.
The vast possibilities and wealth of information being availed to Google and other similar sites was also echoed by Cord Blomquist a Technology Policy Analyst for Competitive Enterprise Institute in his article Who’s Afraid of Google?:
"Privacy advocates will claim the real danger isn’t Google’s hold on tiny text ads, but in the constant stream of information that is constantly being added to Google’s database. Information from searches, emails, calendars, and the myriad other services is collected, analyzed and stored (for a maximum of 24 month). But fears of this treasure trove of data are best mitigated by markets, not government mandates."
Cord Blomquist goes on to say:
"After all, Google’s Web 2.0 offerings are just that, offerings. No one has been coerced into using Gmail or posting pictures with Picasa. Privacy advocates could immediately protect consumers from data collection dangers by encouraging them to turn on, tune in, and log out. This is getting easier as increasingly savvy users avoid being locked into proprietary services—they don’t travel down any one-way streets. Companies have recognized this and realize that for consumers to adopt new services they need an easy way back out. Google is no different, offering easy ways to export contacts, calendar information, photos, and other content from their services."
Will the knowledge that any online activity is not a private affair anymore turn away users? Rather not! With the numbers of internet users increasing each day, the number of people who perhaps cease to use such services may be too little to have any serious impact on the online companies.
However, what should be kept in mind is how we guard our physical privacy with zeal where as we are willing to divulge our personal photos, emails, contacts, calender schedules , search results to a computer which does nothing more than convert it into information to show us more "relevant" online advertisements.
If Google decides to bury a part of their information in a time capsule and maybe after centuries people living in the future were able to access it. They would be amused at our petty online albums, futile online calenders, mindless search results for worthless information by the majority of the now existing population. It would be a true reflection of our times- if you don't know - Google it!
Related Articles:
Watchdog accuses Google of invading the privacy of its internet surfers - The Observer (Guardian)
Who’s Afraid of Google? - Cord Blomquist, WRAL.com
Watchdog group pans Google's privacy policies as worst on the Web - The Associated Press
People are not comfortable in offering their information when it comes to direct marketing and tend to get aggressive when they feel their personal space is invaded. The online world however is changing such parameters and now redefining personal space. Services such as Google are always in the hit list of privacy advocates for collecting information and storing them for over years to analyze results from the millions of their users worldwide.
However the issue stands - what happens when people volunteer information to Google?
According to an article by Jamie Doward and David Smith, in the The Observer
· Users of Google's services must accept the company can retain a large quantity of information about them, often indefinitely.
· Google has access to additional personal information, including hobbies, employment, address, and phone number, from user profiles in its social networking service, Orkut.
· Google collects all search results from its Toolbar search service and identifies all users with a unique 'cookie' - information sent between a web browser and the server - that allows it to track users' web use.
The vast possibilities and wealth of information being availed to Google and other similar sites was also echoed by Cord Blomquist a Technology Policy Analyst for Competitive Enterprise Institute in his article Who’s Afraid of Google?:
"Privacy advocates will claim the real danger isn’t Google’s hold on tiny text ads, but in the constant stream of information that is constantly being added to Google’s database. Information from searches, emails, calendars, and the myriad other services is collected, analyzed and stored (for a maximum of 24 month). But fears of this treasure trove of data are best mitigated by markets, not government mandates."
Cord Blomquist goes on to say:
"After all, Google’s Web 2.0 offerings are just that, offerings. No one has been coerced into using Gmail or posting pictures with Picasa. Privacy advocates could immediately protect consumers from data collection dangers by encouraging them to turn on, tune in, and log out. This is getting easier as increasingly savvy users avoid being locked into proprietary services—they don’t travel down any one-way streets. Companies have recognized this and realize that for consumers to adopt new services they need an easy way back out. Google is no different, offering easy ways to export contacts, calendar information, photos, and other content from their services."
Will the knowledge that any online activity is not a private affair anymore turn away users? Rather not! With the numbers of internet users increasing each day, the number of people who perhaps cease to use such services may be too little to have any serious impact on the online companies.
However, what should be kept in mind is how we guard our physical privacy with zeal where as we are willing to divulge our personal photos, emails, contacts, calender schedules , search results to a computer which does nothing more than convert it into information to show us more "relevant" online advertisements.
If Google decides to bury a part of their information in a time capsule and maybe after centuries people living in the future were able to access it. They would be amused at our petty online albums, futile online calenders, mindless search results for worthless information by the majority of the now existing population. It would be a true reflection of our times- if you don't know - Google it!
Related Articles:
Watchdog accuses Google of invading the privacy of its internet surfers - The Observer (Guardian)
Who’s Afraid of Google? - Cord Blomquist, WRAL.com
Watchdog group pans Google's privacy policies as worst on the Web - The Associated Press
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