If you believe all the crap in the news the last two days, you'd think that Google finally broke their "Don't be evil" motto. Most of the news agencies (Fox, I'm looking at you) would have you think that Google's new privacy policy was created by the Devil himself. They're collecting everything you do on the internet and are selling it to the communists. The reality about their new policy is not even close to that.
Previously, Google had a privacy policy for each of their products (Gmail, YouTube, Picasa, Blogger...) As a knowledgeable internet user, you would have to read every single policy, and monitor each site for changes to the policy. Now they've combined every site into one. It's like The Lord of the Rings. One policy to rule them all. That's probably a bad example when I'm trying to say they're not evil... As a user though, now I only have to monitor one policy.
Furthermore, by combining everything into one policy and one database of information, the ads that Google targets towards me will be more relevant and I'm more likely to find something I want or need. Most folks would agree that we hate all the ads on the internet, but if they are more relevant to what we want, they become less annoying and more useful. When I see an ad for a GED program aimed at ex military members, it's just downright annoying how incorrect it is. I'm not ex-military for one, and I already have my GED. Once that ad is actually for something I want, like nerdy android toys at reasonable prices, then it's not quite as annoying.
Another example of the news blowing technology out of proportion was the coverage of Carrier IQ a few weeks ago. One blogger posted a video on YouTube about how the software on your smart phone was tracking each phone call, each text message, and where you are with GPS. The privacy fools freaked out. It turns out that the reality was much lamer than the coverage. Carrier IQ was recording this data for the cell phone carriers. They'd use the data to know when and where folks were making phone calls, or texting, and using that data to determine where to build new towers. They would know if a call was dropped, a text didn't go through, and would use that to build out their network. The same folks that complained about this data being recorded also complained when AT&T dropped their call.
The thing is, all the data that Carrier IQ collected, was already being collected by AT&T directly. They knew where your phone was based off which cell tower you called through. They know every single phone number that you call, every phone that you text, and every website that you visit. They didn't need Carrier IQ. They could have collected it themselves. Carrier IQ was just a more convenient way to do it.
The worst part of the story is how every phone manufacturer removed it from their phone based off the backlash from consumers. All this company did was help make your mobile service better, by making it easier to collect information that was already being collect. Now it's probably going to go out of business based off some bloggers and papers who don't understand technology, and some folks are going to lose their jobs. AT&T in the mean time, is still collecting all that same information.
Next time people start to freak out about privacy on the internet, think about your Internet Service Provider first. They know literally every single web site you've ever visited. Every term you've ever searched, and all the seedy things you wish folks didn't know. Everyone is getting wound up about Google's privacy policy, but have you ever thought to read Comcast's?
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