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Archive for April, 2005
Google’s Privacy PR Problem?
Today, Google debuted their My Search History feature. In several instances of the press coverage (AP Business, ZDNet, Reuters), I’ve noticed at least one mention or quote regarding “privacy concerns”. As each of these articles have noted, Ask Jeeves and Amazon’s A9.com have already had such features (deployed to little “privacy concern” fanfare)
There was a similar theme to several press articles (CNN, PC World, BBC News) when Google added a Satellite View to Google Maps. Freely available satellite imagery has been available for years (e.g. TerraServer). What’s different about Google’s Satellite implementation?
Why do all these news articles feel the need to bring up the privacy issue? Were the “privacy concerns” from Google’s Gmail service that burned into these writers mind that they must examine every new Google service through these eyes?
Don’t think for a second I’m carefree about privacy. I am one paranoid dude. I’m glad the press is willing to take a company to task for privacy issues; I’m just not convinced that Google is the one to nail. Maybe some writers want to find hypocrisy in Google’s much-touted “Don’t be evil” philosophy.
Believe it or not
I’m going to write more. It’s difficult to easy back into a process of wit crystalization.