Google's Chrome browser... beware

[Cryptic]

From Google:

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html

This "browser" is collecting more than alot data about what users do, visit, surf to, and even alot about the visited content.

[Car Guy]

Just watched something last night on PBS about that and it's scary to think how invasive it is.....:rolleyes:

The one that's out now works just fine for me, don't see a reason to change and definitely won't after hearing about it.....:flipoff2:

[lordairgtar]

So it wasn't George H. Bush that wanted the New World Order. It was Google all along! I knew it!

[Rocket Power]

Google is bent on world domination:goof

[That_Guy]

im using chrom right now i love it .. im not looking at anything that i need to worry about .. and in the grand scheme of things im just a pimple on a hogs ass..

[Silver03SRT]

There are always ways around that. Using an iron key and proxys and its really hard to trace and put your computer at that site.

[Berettaspeed]

If you think about it, who cares if someone knows what your looking at. i mean common really whos going to be surprised people are looking at porn 10 hours of the day? LOL really. now if your doing things your not supposed to do like high amounts of illegal downloading or illegal porn, than your prolly already on someones radar anyways. just cause its new now doesnt mean it hasnt been around already.

[Cryptic]

Google sells that information. Then you'll see more ads on those pages you frequent.

[Syclone0044]

Google immediately changed and retroactively applied the license after this was brought to their attention:

"Our bad, We'll Change It"
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080903-google-on-chrome-eula-controversy-our-bad-well-change-it.html

Also be aware that it's not really Google Chrome that's causing this "new" privacy concern. It seems to be "Google Suggest", the "Web 2.0" auto-completion feature where you start typing a few letters and it offers suggestions to complete the phrase.

This is a feature that Firefox has had for a while now, so any privacy concerns would also apply to Firefox.

But most importantly, Google has recently promoted Google Suggest from their "Labs" beta to the full www.google.com home page. So anyone using www.google.com to search risks the same privacy "concern" that people blew up about the Chrome browser's address bar.

Here is the page where Google talks about putting Suggest on their home page: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/at-loss-for-words.html

And the official Google Blog has a lot on the Chrome controversy: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/

[Cryptic]

I've been using Google suggest as my home page for years... But I know what I am feeding google.

[CobraSnake]

I was watching the news last night and they were talking about a satalite that google sent into spaces for google earth. To take pics. They were all kinda laughing about google taking over the world. This was all after I saw this post.

Mark

[xxsn0blindxx]

Yeah Google has everyone fooled into thinking they're this peaceful free-service fun-loving company, but they're pretty invasive on privacy to a pretty scarry level. Microsoft considers them to be their biggest rival and in all honesty I'm more scared of Google. Microsoft is greedy, but Google is just damn creepy.

[Syclone0044]

Hey I'm all about being skeptical and suspicious of privacy issues. But Google more scary than Microsoft? Seems a bit over the top. Let's not forget Google produced this browser and is giving it away for free WITH OPEN SOURCE, something Microsoft has never even considered doing. Pretty much the polar opposite of how Microsoft operates. So you (or any software programmer) are free to change Chrome to operate how you want if you don't like some features...

Microsoft is the company who makes it "mandatory" that you "activate" the software product you already purchased, to prove you aren't a criminal. (WTF?) And through their internet updates and "Windows Genuine Advantage" (more like a DISADVANTAGE) they can deny you access to your own PC. A Windows XP or Windows Vista "Activation scheme" malfunction is a lot more scary than anything Google is doing, that's for damn sure. Your only choices are #1 reboot the computer, or #2 call Microsoft and beg on your knees for a code to gain permission back onto YOUR OWN PROPERTY!

There are plenty of examples of these "activation" schemes malfunctioning and denying access to even legitmate owners. Here's one: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2007/08/windows_genuine_disadvantage.html

[xxsn0blindxx]

Microsoft is just being greedy and making sure that nobody is stealing their software. You hardly have to beg for activation. You can activate the same copy of windows on 10 different systems if you just tell them its the same system and you had to reinstall windows because it crashed. Sure it's a pain in the butt and they have a ridiculous hold on the OS market, but they aren't mining data from your computer use. The link you posted was about a malfunction in Microsoft's activation server, it's not like they were just deciding to deny people activation of their software.

What I find creepy about Google is that they are monitoring and recording your internet use. Granted it's all free so there is no guaranty of privacy, but I certainly wouldn't expect to have everything I do being logged into a database. To say Microsoft is more creepy than Google is like saying a bathroom that you have to pay for and has armed security guards but is private is more creepy than a free bathroom with cameras watching you or a door man recording how many times a day you use the bathroom and recording how many sheets of toilette paper you used.

[Syclone0044]

Google Halves Retention Of Computer Addresses To Nine Mos.
Last update: 9/9/2008 12:26:50 PM

(emphasis mine)


WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Google Inc. (GOOG) announced Tuesday that it will halve the time it stores users' computer addresses from 18 months to nine months, a move designed to respond to policymakers in Europe and the United States who are concerned about privacy.

Google and other Internet search engines such as those run by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) all save data from users' computers to optimize the searching process and prevent fraud. The companies all make that data anonymous, which is less useful for search purposes, after a certain time period.

A European Commission working group on privacy said in April that Internet search engines should only store computer addresses for six months.

Google spokeswoman Christine Chen said the company's engineers decided that making the computer addresses anonymous after nine months "would strike the right balance between our goal of reducing the retention period without compromising the utility of logs data, which we use to improve Google's services."

Chen also said the manner in which Google makes the data anonymous after nine months may differ from the method used after 18 months, "but we're committed to making it work."

In Tuesday's letter to the EC working group, Google said it will continue to discuss privacy standards with regulators and "is committed to raising the bar on our own privacy practices for the benefit of Google users."

Google's letter also said the company treats users' Internet protocol, or IP, addresses as highly confidential. "Our logs data, which include IP address information, are treated with utmost care and security, accessible to only a small number of engineers who require access for purposes of their job responsibilities."

Google was the first Internet company to make computer users' addresses anonymous after a certain time, which caused others in the industry to follow suit.

Center for Democracy and Technology Deputy Director Ari Schwartz said Google's decision is good news for privacy advocates, but it likely won't be the last word on the topic.

"There is going to be continued pressure" from regulators and privacy advocates urging Internet companies to get rid of as much personal data as possible, Schwartz said.

"Only the engineers know [what they need], and the engineers want to get as much data as they can get. This whole process has shown that they don't really need it that long," Schwartz said.

This is a step in the right direction. It is also interesting to note that Google was the first to make their logs anonymous after a period of time.