People have been talking a lot lately about Google Talk and how serious privacy concerns there are with the new app.
The fact that one account can search and be used on more than one computer seems to be the biggest worry. In other words, you could search, index, and share files between your desktop and laptop using a single desktop search account.
But are these worries based on facts? Is this really a matter of privacy?
I do...
People have been talking a lot lately about Google Talk and how serious privacy concerns there are with the new app.
The fact that one account can search and be used on more than one computer seems to be the biggest worry. In other words, you could search, index, and share files between your desktop and laptop using a single desktop search account.
But are these worries based on facts? Is this really a matter of privacy?
The other day, I got the new Desktop Search beta and put it on my computer. It has some cool new features, like the ability to take panels out of the sidebar and put them wherever you want on your desktop.
There are also a few more panels that let you do things like manage what is indexed or play games to kill time.
One of the coolest things about it is that it can do things outside of the desktop it is on. Now I can play tic-tac-toe with people at work or with friends all over the world.
Some people think that the ability to remotely index files and share them using Google servers to temporarily store the items is the biggest and most worrying change.
By turning this feature on, you give Google permission to store your files for up to 30 days. This 30-day rule seems to be the main problem, and there doesn't seem to be any way around it.
I can only say, "So what?"
So what if you have to give this power to Google? Google will use encryption to make sure that no one else can get to the information. Even if the DOJ sent a subpoena saying that these files need to be opened, I don't think it would hold up in court.
Google has set up a network so that everything you do on Google is linked to your Google account. Your personalised home page, gmail, google analytics, adwords, and adsense all use the same Google account. So, it would be hard for someone to get a subpoena to look at only some of the information in that account.
Legal issues aside, if you are worried about giving Google access to your private information in order to use this system, don't sign up for it.
You can still download and use the new Desktop Search with most of its new features, but you don't have to use file sharing.
But what if you want two computers to share files?
So, do what I did and buy a flash drive from your favourite electronics store. I just spent less than $100 on a USB flash drive with more than 2 gigabytes of space. Now I can easily send anything from one computer to another, and I don't have to worry about the government wanting to know what's on it.
As I said, I have the new Google Desktop installed, and I did look at the settings for search and file sharing, but I didn't turn them on. I don't need to be able to search my computer at home from my computer at work or vice versa. I also don't need to be able to share files between the two computers.
And if I did, I would just use the FTP site I set up on a computer at home or the flash drive I already mentioned.
When you think about all the other ways Google collects your personal information, like your search history and Gmail, should we really care if some files end up on a Google server?
I think we should worry about something else. For example, I think we should worry about what Google already knows about us through those services I mentioned earlier.
I think business owners should be worried about how easy it would be for employees to steal data and send it to and from work with such a service.
If you are that worried about the US government invading your privacy, I think you shouldn't use Google, Google Desktop Search, or Gmail. In fact, I think you shouldn't have any Internet accounts at all, because the DOJ is after everyone. Also, I'm almost certain that your local ISP will give up and give you the data much more easily than Google will.
So before you start complaining about how Google could invade your privacy, remember that YOU can stop it from happening. All you have to do is decide to do it.
