Google Knows...

So if you Google “Google” the first result states, “Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking … (for)” (Google, n.d.). We all know that Google is the top-ranked search portal, that it manages a popular e-mail service, it offers a widely-used customizable home page, it provides a leading RSS feed reader service, it shares a free analytics product, owns the largest distributed ad network, and is the largest video content hosting site through its YouTube property.  We often hear how great Google is to work for, and how creative their workspace is. We know its Android OS is the most used system in mobile telephony and its stock is soaring to new heights every day...

We know these things about Google… Google’s successes are well established.

But did you know that Google is secretly and not so secretly collecting data from its accounts and services every day? Are we so brainwashed by the Google marketing machine that it is ok to trade in our privacy for shiny new toys? Have we sold our souls to the devil? That remains to be seen, be clearly Google’s free services are not so free after all. Google is mining your data.

According to Steven Rosenfeld of Alternet and Salon, there are four methods through which Google is destroying privacy and collecting our data. (Rosenfeld, 2014).

• Street View - After being sued by 38 states, Google admitted that its mapping cars were taking mare than pictures; they were collecting data from computers inside homes and structures, including passwords, e-mails and other personal information.

• Gmail - A class-action lawsuit states that GMAIL analyzes the content of email messages and sells the data to advertisers.

• Google Safari - The Wall Street Journal broke the story that its Google’s software was bypassing security settings for Apple devices using the Safari browser, exposing millions of hapless users to tracking without even knowing about it. The result was a $22.5 million fine from the FTC, the largest civil penalty ever levied by the commission.

• Android - ComputerWorld.com’s Michael Horowitz claimed that Google knows nearly every WiFi password in the world as a result of backdoor access to hundreds of millions of Android phones and devices.

According to PrivacySOS, an affiliate of the ACLU, “Google argues that it has the right to collect your most sensitive data, as long as it flows across an open WiFi network.” (PrivacySOS , 2014). So how do you feel about the fact that Google collects data from millions of its accounts every day? As a consumer married to my wireless devices, I greatly oppose this notion.

 

Clearly, mining data has become a virtual goldmine.  And Google was prospecting nuggets long before many of us realized the full business potential of this practice. As Robert Epstein of Dissent Magazine so aptly puts it, “On the surface, Google appears primarily to be an information provider, but it is actually a glorified advertising firm, with 97 percent of its revenues coming from advertisers. Users see only the surface, which they love, but would they be so amorous if they were more aware of what the surface was for?” (Epstein, 2014).

 

Should users care? Definitely.

Do users care? I don't think they understand enough to care.

Privacy statements and End User License Agreements are littered with legalese and confusing phrasing. The time it takes to read these types of documents is far more than consumers are willing or able to spend. Users blindly accept these agreements on the blind faith that Google can do them no wrong. This type of careless behavior is exactly what Google is counting on and they are laughing all the way to the bank.

From the outside looking in, Google appears to be a company that is environmentally, culturally, and ethically responsible.  The company participates in and researches efficient and renewable power, boasting that their data centers use 50% less power than a typical data center. (Google Green, n.d.). Additionally, Google continues to invest in alternative energies such as wind and solar power with plants located both domestically and internationally. Additionally, Google builds software and tools to aid in education and is bringing free fiber-optic Internet to communities across the nation. Each year Google donates $100,000,000 in grants, 80,000 hours, and $1 Billion in products to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. (Google Global Impact, n.d.).

Google gives back.

But what does economic, cultural, and environmental ethics have to do with your privacy? Absolutely nothing.  Google has been assessed with anti-trust lawsuits around the globe. They have admitted to censoring user search data in favor of communist governments, and have been accused of “evil doing” in Kenya.

Knowledge is power, and Google has acquired far more knowledge and invented more ways to use it than any other company in history. Google has the ability to influence and control virtually everything the Internet touches. Google has the willingness and history to share your personal data and behaviors. Companies can know everywhere you go and everything you do on a daily basis.  Google is in your business, in your car, in your pockets, and in your homes. Google is single-handedly compromising your civil liberties.  Likewise, Google has the ability to hide or conceal search data in favor of data belonging to its investors or advertisers. Yes, I am as guilty as the rest of us. I am willingly handing over my personal data because I love my phone and free email.

Consumers like their shiny new phones and free email accounts, while seldom paying any attention to online privacy statements. While Google is collecting device information, login formation, location information, unique application numbers, local storage information, and cookies / anonymous identifiers, consumers continue to turn the other cheek when it comes to protecting their privacy. (del Castillo, 2013). To compound matters, it was revealed through Edward Snowden that Google freely shares its data with the NSA. (del Castillo, 2013).  So not only does Google know everything about you, so do advertisers and the Federal Government. In an effort to keep my tin foil hat on the shelf, I will keep this short by stating this is simply not a good thing for consumer privacy.  

At this point, there is little we can do to keep our data safe from Goliaths like Google unless laws are made to protect us. But in the meantime, The Onion does provide one solution that may work for all of us…

 

References

Del Castillo, M. (2013, August 15). 6 Kinds of Information Google Openly Admits to Collecting. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://upstart.bizjournals.com/news/technology/2013/08/15/6-data-categories-google-collects.html.

Epstein, R. (2014, May 9). Google’s Snoops: Mining Our Data for Profit and Pleasure. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/googles-snoops-mining-our-data-for-profit-and-pleasure/.

Google. (n.d.). Google. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from https://www.google.com/.

Google Global Impact. (n.d.) A Better World, Faster. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from https://www.google.org.  

Google Green. (n.d.) A Better Web. Better for the Environment. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from https://www.google.com/green/.

PrivacySOS (2014, January 13). Google Says Anything Flowing Across Open WiFi is Fair Game. Retrieved December 1, 2014, http://privacysos.org/node/1299.

Rosenfeld, S. (2014, February 5). 4 Ways Google is Destroying Privacy and Collecting Your Data. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.salon.com/2014/02/05/4_ways_google_is_destroying_privacy_and_collecting_your_data_partner/.