Comments on: Google & the US Govt – Separation of Search & State

By: Dana Lookadoo

Dana Lookadoo — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:12:04 +0000

@WildDingo Thanks for the feedback! Agreed that Google sleeping with the government does open too many avenues for privacy invasion. Add medical records on top of that…ouch.

@MiriamEllis Nice to hear from you, and you’re right that the interchange between govt and corporations has crossed a threshold of no return. My concern is that Google has been keeping a record of every search we do with the goal of improved personalized search. I can’t imagine the government would use that information for our personal best interests, no matter who was in the White House.

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Been thinking about alternatives and what an individual can do? It is possible to opt out by turning off search history recording in the settings page of one’s Gmail account. Each person can also edit their history, including removing it entirely. Latest events with Schmidt’s appointment should make everyone aware of their actions and options to opt out.

Bottom line, I’m hoping there will be a separation of Search & State.

By: MiriamEllis

MiriamEllis — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 06:11:01 +0000

Hi Dana, I just found your excellent and uncannily coincidental comment on my post about Google Local and wrong directions to the hospital. I appreciated you coming by and sharing that with me, and responded to you over there. The subject you are addressing here has definitely crossed my mind as well. The truth is, I think, we are all pretty much aware of the fact that corporations and the government have become inextricably linked. It's a sorry situation. Bush has been totally tied up with what is undoubtedly the world's most dreadful corporation of them all. With Obama, we are likely to have some serious intermixing with Google. I can't see us getting away from this situation, because of the capitalist nature of our society, but I think if given a choice, I'd rather have Obama tied up with Schmidt/Gore, than Bush tied up with Monsanto. I honestly think you are raising good points here, Dana, but I don't see a way around it. I really don't. Miriam Getting Local Stuff Done - Great Clients Make It Easier:

By: Wild Dingo

Wild Dingo — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 04:40:26 +0000

Oh boy. YOu hit a sore spot with me. I couldn’t agree more. i opt in to google analytics and adsense but i don’t use its other services, not even its tool bar because i saw this information collection stuff coming a long time ago. My big concern is making health records digital and accessible via Internet or a Browser or database somewhere. It was a push/proposal by Google months ago and i don’t know where it stands now but it could be the very undoing of our HIPPA rights. YES i see a major conflict of interest in a google executive being appointed to a new gov’t office. Its frightening. I tend to like the Internet in the way Wikipedia has developed (referencable facts built by the people). Yet even Wikipedia has had its share of conflict of interest. Yet, the “people” have kept that in check.

Still we give away our privacy every day using credit cards or mortgaging our homes. If you don’t use cash, you compromise your privacy. Telemarketing calls from competing mortagage companies used to infuriate me. Now those very companies who violated our privacy and annoyed us with calls are closing their doors (or not). Still, Google sleeping with our Gov’t makes it even easier than the credit industry to violate our privacy.

Sigh. Everything’s a scam. They’re all out to get you. Even paranoids have enemies.