OK, this is one of those moments where I get a little nervous. Google is now offering a “service” to help track your history.
Um, huh?
This makes me nervous as I refer back to Google’s claim that they are going to “anonymize” user data. Now they have announced this which, will install a toolbar that will track your surfing. From the Google History page:
Web History: All the web sites you visit, at your fingertips.
* View your web activity.
* Search the full text of pages you’ve visited.
* Get personalized search results and more.Google Toolbar: Take the power of Google with you anywhere on the web.
* Search smarter with instant suggestions.
* Access your bookmarks from any computer.
* Add custom buttons to search your favorite sites.You should know: To include the web pages you visit in your web history, you need to install Toolbar with PageRank enabled. PageRank will send information about these pages to Google and associate it with your Google Account. See our Web History and Toolbar Privacy Policies. Learn more.
This has the disconcerting hallmarks of an attempt to double back on the privacy protection. I’m also wondering if this will track internal URLs (ie. a corporate intranet) and if so, will these to be open to public search? Also, taking into mind the recent privacy problems with Google Calendar. So, being of a suspicious mind I put the EULA through the SpywareGuide analyzer from FaceTime.
OK, not too bad on the run through. It has multiple references to advertising which should come as no surprise.
All such information is referred to below as the “Content”. 8.2 You should be aware that Content presented to you as part of the Services, including but not limited to advertisements in the Services and sponsored Content within the Services may be protected by intellectual property rights which are owned by the sponsors or advertisers who provide that Content to Google (or by other persons or companies on their behalf). You may not modify, rent, lease, loan, sell, distribute or create derivative works based on this Content (either in whole or in part) unless you have been specifically told that you may do so by Google or by the owners of that Content, in a separate agreement.
Your searches are not your own. They are the property of Google. Great, now they can target my advertising when I search for the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Example:
These advertisements may be targeted to the content of information stored on the Services, queries made through the Services or other information.
I find it a little disconcerting that Google “does not endorse any advertising, products or other materials on or available from such web sites or resources.” OK, so they will take their advertising dollars with no regard to the content?
You understand that by using the Services you may be exposed to Content that you may find offensive, indecent or objectionable and that, in this respect, you use the Services at your own risk.
Well then, I guess that settles that.
[tags]Google History, Google Privacy, Google Calendar, Google[/tags]