Comments on: Google’s privacy nightmare just starting

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:06:28 +0000

I already blogged about this weeks ago, but basically, Google can put toghether the IPs you use to connect to their services (such as the popular GMail), and the records sent in by thousands of websites using Google Analytics to record traffic use, browsing patterns and so on.

As a practical exercise, your blog uses Analytics, which means Google knows about all the GMail (as an example) users who also read your blog. And they know what they read, how often, where they click, and so on. They log into their GMail account, so their IP gets recorded, from which point it can be tracked on any Analytics-enabled site. I'm not sure if Adwords records the IP addresses of visitors, could be worth investigating.

Not saying that Google Analytics is -a bad thing-, I use it on my blog too, but there are implications that will have to be considered eventually, if Google keeps gaining power.

By: Timothy

Timothy — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 04:17:43 +0000

ya google ! but u must check the biggest flaw discovered recently by Abhishek (abhishekparolkar.blogspot.com) on how security of corporate data is lost by google’s cache and mistake of 37signals

By: Vanr

Vanr — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 05:23:17 +0000

You sure it's a good idea for the government to look into how much data Google has?

They might get some ideas...

By: Sergio

Sergio — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:54:31 +0000

Dave, I think that GigaOm’s coverage of Google, the hottest company in the world, is commensurate to demand from inquiring minds. Not only that, Google has been making a lot of news lately. I’m sorry to say, but it’s hard to escape reading about Google when you turn your attention to any techie blog.

By: dave

dave — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:45:21 +0000

OM – Dude!!

WTF – all you write about is Google – look at your blog roll for the last three months – why are you letting a good blog go to waste with these lame and LAZY blogging.

I’m removing GigaOm from my bookmarks.

By: Nick Hawkins

Nick Hawkins — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:05:21 +0000

Does Google have an ombudsman? Just curious. With all of this information within their company, surely they need some degree of transparency.

By: Steve Morsa

Steve Morsa — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 19:52:21 +0000

At this rate, it won’t be long before Google’s “privacy policy” (quotation marks now mandated for accuracy) will be the world’s next great oxymoron…

…all your data are belong to us.

By: Sergio

Sergio — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 18:08:22 +0000

I believe that Google sincerely hopes to protect users' information. Nonetheless, we should definitely not take anything for granted. There are a number of things that can go wrong: accidental exposure of data, greed overcoming ethics, etc.

I think another interesting point that the Post article raises is that of monopoly. (It is quite funny that it was Microsoft to scream 'foul'.) I don't think that Google's 60 percent share of the U.S. search market is one, but DoubleClick's 85 percent share of 'display and video ads' combined with AdWords certainly starts to look like one. It might fly in the U.S., but I seriously doubt that it will go unchallenged in EU.

By: Madan Kumar Shrestha

Madan Kumar Shrestha — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 17:14:32 +0000

While i read this I know about Google’s privacy nightmare just starting which is to much useful.