It’s the little things that make Google dangerous
I noticed yesterday that Google has begun including profile, correspondence and even geographical information to the right side of e-mails (see: image above). At the moment the data appears to be mostly limited to what one consciously inputs into the profile. However, I’ve noticed that e-mails from colleagues in human rights and journalistic organizatons have all their information displayed, right down to their home or office addresses.
Okay, so, bad guys probably already know where you work and live, but in principle this is just stupid of Google. I’m increasingly bothered by the way in which Google seems hellbent to everything and everyone regardless of the subtleties. How much longer before they start including your individual computer information, or automatically cross-link to your Facebook or LinkedIn account, and so on? (Don’t get me started on the privacy disaster that is Google Buzz.)
I’m sure that Google would allow you to regulate this, but that’s not the problem. In the journalistic and human rights worlds, where pseudonyms can be all that stands between life and brutal torture or even death, all it takes is one slip-up — a tiny piece of data to suggest or even confirm your true identity. And in some of the shoddier secret police agencies or intelligence-gathering wings of mafias in the developing world, Google could even be accidentally serving the role as consultant: Hey, did you ever bother just to check so-and-so’s profile?
I admit that it’s a complex dance between Google and we the Googlers, but I don’t like how increasingly I feel like I’m in some kind of cat and mouse game with a company whose espoused philosophy is “You can make money without doing evil” (a.k.a., “Don’t be evil”). It’s the little things the company does or overlooks that make it sometimes so dangerous.
25 June, 2011 at 19:32
I would never recommend Gmail to someone who needs to conceal who they are, there are tons of other great tools and people have kindly provided some of them for free.
Unless something has changed, Google pulls the data that person has shared with it, and it scans through the text to see if you need a map (if it sees an address) or if you want to create an event (if it sees an event and a time or date).
It is not up to the tool to learn how to protect you. You pay the price for a free service with the information you feed it.
It uses your information to feed the advertisers and continue providing you with a free service. It is up to anyone using the Internet to educate themselves and take precautions.
Think about it this way:
If you wrote private information in a notebook, is it your job to keep it in your backpack if you don’t want someone to see it? Or are you going to blame the manufacturer for not selling it with a built in padlock?
I know that analogy is weak because the manufacturer doesn’t follow you around to read what you write in it, but you can add another layer of ridiculous and imagine they gave you the notebook for free on the condition that you agreed to let them read it whenever they wanted to.
When you agree to the terms of service you consent to these things. Yes, Google does evil when it gives up the names of dissidents, but no, it is not evil when it cross posts information you agreed to share.
30 June, 2011 at 09:45
I trust you’re not jumping at the opportunity of getting a Google+ page then?
..by the way, I’ve never seen that thingy in my gmail. Why not?!
4 July, 2011 at 16:38
Hahaha no, I’m not.
Don’t know why it’s not popping up on your screen. Perhaps you’re not a human rights worker whose identity is need of secrecy.