Google Desktop and Privacy
Relax... the Google Desktop software won't secretly send copies of your love letters to Uncle Sam. Here's the truth about the "Search Across Computers" feature that was added to the Google Desktop software earlier this year. According to Google's documentation:
Search Across Computers enables you to search your documents and viewed web pages across all your computers. For example, you can find files you edited on your desktop from your laptop. To activate this feature, you will need a Google Account (the same login you use for Gmail, Orkut, or other Google services). Files accessed on your computer after you enable Search Across Computers will be searchable from your other computers. To search your other computers you must also install Google Desktop on them as well as enable the Search Across Computers preference using the same Google Account on each one.
So yes, it's true that if you use the Search Across Computers feature, Google Desktop will transfer an encrypted copy of certain files to a Google server, so that you can search for files on all of your computers at once. It's a handy tool for power users who have files scattered across multiple computers. But nothing is being done in secret, or without your permission, and your personal files are NOT available to other Google users.
Here are some important things to remember about the Search Across Computers feature:
You must explicitly turn on this feature. It's not automatically enabled, and it's not something you might do by mistake.
You must install the Google Desktop on all of your computers, sign up for a Google Account, and then enable this feature on all your computers for it to function.
Files are encrypted before transmission, and are deleted from Google's servers after 30 days.
Password-protected files and secure web info are automatically excluded.
Specific files and folders can also be excluded.
All of this is clearly spelled out in the Google Desktop website and help files.
So What's The Fuss?
Why are some privacy pundits crying foul, telling others not to use the Google Desktop software? Warnings from the Electronic Frontier Foundation have been issued, saying things like "Google Copies Your Hard Drive - Government Smiles in Anticipation" and "Consumers Should Not Use New Google Desktop." The EFF claims that if files are transferred to Google servers, then the government, business rivals or your spouse could easily obtain them with a subpoena.
The problem, according to the EFF, is the Electronic Communication Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986, which gives only "limited" privacy protection to data stored with online service providers. If that's true, then the problem is MUCH bigger. Any ISP that stores your personal files or emails would be in the exact same situation. AOL, Yahoo and Hotmail keep your emails on their servers, many websites allow you to upload photos, and it's common for online stores to keep records with your personal information, such as address, phone and credit card numbers. Web hosting firms store private files and proprietary code that power millions of websites.
So is all of this information really up for grabs by Uncle Sam, your competitors, and your ex-wife? I'm not a lawyer, but it's very hard for me to believe that the law permits almost anyone to secretly request a copy of others' private files from an Internet service provider. And it's even harder for me to believe that Google is somehow complicit with the government to violate the privacy of millions of Internet users. Is the sky really falling?
No. Here's what's really going on... The EFF wants Congress to update the ECPA and other privacy laws, and maybe some changes to the law really are needed. But they're stringing up Google like a digital pinata, telling the world that Google Desktop software is evil, in order to get publicity for their cause. That may be a common tactic in public relations, but it's unfair and it's wrong. Some might even say it's evil.
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