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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| Sander_Marechal Dec 10, 2009 10:36 AM EDT |
A couple of days ago we were discussing Google and it's privacy implications. Now I read this: Concerned About Privacy? You're Probably up to no Good, Says Google CEO [url=http://www.dailytech.com/Concerned About Privacy Youre Probably up to no Good Says Google CEO/article17069.htm]http://www.dailytech.com/Concerned About Privacy Youre Proba...[/url] Quoting:...fears that "Big Brother is watching you" have been replace with fears that "Google is watching you". :-/ |
| jdixon Dec 10, 2009 11:36 AM EDT |
> "If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place." You suppose he means people like a Falon Gong member or a Christian in China, perhaps? |
| caitlyn Dec 10, 2009 12:53 PM EDT |
I'm obviously not worried about the example Eric Schmidt cited, where the government looks for information about me under the Patriot Act. I am much more worried about Google selling my information without my knowledge or permission. I am more concerned that Google could have a security breach and my information could be stolen or misused. I am very concerned about Google's long history of tailoring their data and services based on political biases and the opinions of its management. I wrote about this happening on Google Earth vis a vis the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but there have been similar complaints about China-Tibet and about Google News. I've gotten into the habit of using more than one search engine. If Eric Schmidt can blacklist CNet because they published information found about him in a Google search, what else does Google filter in or out? Trust Google? Thanks, no thanks. Trust their browser? There are plenty of other excellent browsers. I've been impressed with Kazahakse and Arora lately, and neither are owned by companies in the information collection business. |
| gus3 Dec 10, 2009 3:09 PM EDT |
Wow. After my mini-rant about Chrome yesterday, and a follow-up this morning, I wondered if I would have to hoe this row myself. And then this pops up. Thank you. |
| ComputerBob Dec 10, 2009 3:23 PM EDT |
Dear Eric Schmidt, Please remove your home's bedroom, bathroom and front and back doors, as well as all of its curtains, shades and other window coverings. |
| azerthoth Dec 10, 2009 3:32 PM EDT |
Well with comments like that from Mr. Schmidt, I would remind that trust is earned and after that gem it will be a long time with hard work to even think of trusting him/google again. |
| jezuch Dec 10, 2009 3:58 PM EDT |
Bruce Schneier is not amused either: http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/12/my_reaction_to... |
| gus3 Dec 10, 2009 11:57 PM EDT |
So, anyone up for storing their data on the Google Cloud? |
| tuxchick Dec 11, 2009 12:40 AM EDT |
why not, gus3, if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. |
| Bob_Robertson Dec 11, 2009 10:03 PM EDT |
Anyone else old enough to remember the furor when Phil Zimmerman threw open PGP? |
| tuxtom Dec 12, 2009 1:58 PM EDT |
Quoting:I'm obviously not worried about the example Eric Schmidt cited, where the government looks for information about me under the Patriot Act.That is the most alarming scenario presented. There is more reason to fear your own government than any individual or corporation. |
| caitlyn Dec 12, 2009 2:28 PM EDT |
@tuxtom: Well, I work for the government (state, not federal) so I guess you should fear me. Let's just say we'll have to agree to disagree. |
| Scott_Ruecker Dec 12, 2009 3:05 PM EDT |
The days of living in a cave are over, the only way all of one's data and/or personal information is in any real way private is if you have none to share...ever. No information is safe information..;-) |
| gus3 Dec 12, 2009 3:23 PM EDT |
Except that, even silence can be loud. |
| caitlyn Dec 12, 2009 8:15 PM EDT |
@Scott: While it may be impossible to completely protect yourself there are common sense solutions to minimize your risk. Some of the alternative search engines that don't pass on your information as others have suggested are a good start. (Mostly) anonymous (or at least harder to trace) browsing with tor and privoxy also helps. I use a separate debit card for online purchases -- one I can control the amount available on. That way there never is much for anyone to steal. |
| hkwint Dec 12, 2009 9:49 PM EDT |
Quoting:So, anyone up for storing their data on the Google Cloud? Someone someday will devise (or already has devised?) some FUSE/encFS that transparently uses the Google cloud as a multi-layered FS which uses several encryption algorithms on top of each other I suggest, just like sshFS. Because the data in the cloud is decentralized, cracking it will probably be rather hard given that even Google might not be fully aware of the current physical location of the data. What would be fun to do is put those cloud - services together with LVM striping / software RAID or such a thing (and use a local disk for checksums or so). Maybe if one of those cloud services is down, you can still reach your messages. Yeah, that would be advanced. I've been thinking about a 'community-enabled/owned' cloud, but decided it would not work, because people can leave that cloud whenever they want and then the data is lost. Sad, because an open cloud would sound interesting to me. Something like "I provide 10Gb of backup to the cloud and receive 10Gb of backup in return". |
| gus3 Dec 12, 2009 9:55 PM EDT |
Isn't there a FUSE driver to turn your GMail account into a storage volume? |
| Bob_Robertson Dec 13, 2009 12:16 PM EDT |
gmailfs_0.8-5_all.deb gmailfs - Use your GMail account as a filesystem GmailFS provides a mountable Linux filesystem which uses your Gmail account as its storage medium. GmailFS is a Python application and uses the FUSE userland filesystem infrastructure to help provide the filesystem, and libgmail to communicate with Gmail. To use GmailFS, please use fuse-source to compile appropriate modules for your running kernel. GmailFS supports most file operations such as read, write, open, close, stat, symlink, link, unlink, truncate and rename. This means that you can use all your favourite unix command line tools to operate on files stored on Gmail (e.g. cp, ls, mv, rm, ln, grep etc. etc.). http://richard.jones.name/google-hacks/gmail-filesystem/gmai... |
| tuxtom Dec 13, 2009 3:37 PM EDT |
@caitlyn - I didn't realize you were an indoctrinated member of the Inner Party. You have my sympathies if you are working for Arnie... Long Live The Proles!!! |
| Scott_Ruecker Dec 13, 2009 4:13 PM EDT |
@Caitlyn: I guess I assumed all that common sense stuff..lol! |
| caitlyn Dec 14, 2009 1:55 PM EDT |
tuxtom: What the h*ll are you talking about? Better yet, I don't want to know. I have no idea who Arnie is, BTW. If your reference is pointing to the fact that when it comes to national security and defense that my views are very conservative, then yes, that's true. I'm very liberal on other issues, which makes me doctrinaire nothing. Neither the left nor the right likes me very much which is fine by me. I prefer assessing issues for myself to following any party line. |
| gus3 Dec 14, 2009 2:48 PM EDT |
@caitlyn: You just proved his point. "Do not talk about Fight Club." @tuxtom: Turn in your Inner Party card immediately. |
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