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Google Lives Up To Its Motto
23 Jan 2006
On the one hand, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that there is porn on the Internet-- Avenue Q has made that into an hilarious joke. On the other hand, there are plenty of people who don't want to see it. Balancing these two isn't easy for the government or companies that make their living on the Internet. However, PGP (and we believe most other security companies) would likely decline similar requests from the government. In my view the government doesn"t even need the Google data to achieve its stated objective. They can do research. They can talk to people who have data. After all, there were plenty of companies that did turn over customer data. The government already has access to most of the data they need and can obtain the rest without resorting to the power of subpoena. Google's sense of ethics is such that it believes in protecting the privacy of its customers. Every time Google does anything controversial, its policy of "you can make money without doing evil" is brought up. It"s good to see that when it counts, when a difficult decision has to be made that may not make money, Google lives up to its principles. However, there are things that we as Internet users need to know. Most websites record much more information than we realize. The IP address of the machine you are using can often pinpoint you in time and place. Some websites record the entirety of the click-stream you create as you use the site. It's one thing when they use this information to enhance your experience. The danger, of course, is when unanticipated demands come for that data. The Internet is a dangerous place, and the dangers are not all from hacking, phishing, and viruses. They also come from the unintended use of our reading and shopping habits or mere curiosity. Those of us who create systems to increase security and protect privacy can do things to help. I have a series of articles lined up to talk about advances in privacy. We can't do everything, though, and there has to be a better solution to preserving privacy than to simply decide we shouldn't search for things on the Internet. There are some things technology can't solve, however. Policies, attitudes, and decisions about the right way to use a customer's data are all part of the equation. That situation is changing. A few years ago, those of us who talked about how easy it was for personal information to be lost or stolen were seen as a bit wild-eyed and paranoid. Now, announcements of data breaches have made the need for encryption and data security obvious to everyone. This new reality is bringing home the fact that there is danger in this data wandering from its intended use into an unintended one. It's good to see that Google understands the difference.
Background Reading
Avenue Q, "The Internet is for Porn", full song with World of Warcraft videos http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=lr_HR-iIlYg Coursey, David, "The Feds Go Fishing, but Google
Ain't Biting," eWeek.com, January 20, 2006
"Google Shares Have Biggest Drop After Justice
Suit", Bloomburg.com, January 20, 2006
McCullah, Declan and Elinor Mills, "Feds Take Porn
Fight to Google", C/Net, January 19, 2006
Musil, Stephen, "Google, the defiant one,"
C/Net, January 20, 2006
Ten things Google has found to be true: You can make money without doing evil: http://www.google.com/intl/en/corporate/tenthings.html | |||
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