Re: talk.google.com

["Stuart Carter" <Stuart.Carter () bbcel co uk>]

A good question, Dan, thank you.



Stuart Carter
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> > > Dan Margolis <dmargoli+lists () af0 net> 25/08/2005 03:41:55 >>>
> While I'm at it, I wanted to take a stab at Stuart's comment, too.  
> Because I hear more and more of this "Google Watch" nonsense, and I  
> think a lot of it ought to be laid to rest. And my main complaint  
> with all of it is, people who are worked up about this seem to ignore  
> the fact that this is nothing new--how much do you trust your ISP,  
> for instance? Why isn't there a AOL-Time-Warner-watch, when this  
> conglomerate (until AOL gets spun off) controls the Internet access,  
> the TV access, the movies, the magazines, the newspapers, even the  
> published books accessed by so many people? With companies like AOL- 
> Time-Warner, all your media can literally come from a single source.  
> And people are worried about Google storing their e-mail!

My ISP has to comply with European data protection laws.
Google does not.

My ISP does not set "immortal cookies" on my PC.
Google does (... if I allow them, which I do not - Firefox cookie manager is nice!).

I do not use my ISPs email - I use privately hosted email (unlike this which is, obviously, my work email).

My ISP is not trying to build up an ever more complete picture of what I am interested in, so that they can sell me 
more advertising.

While my ISP has logs of what I do, again, they have to store and purge them in accordance with European data 
protection laws.


I should state that I am not one of the "Google watch" brigade - I do not feel the need to wear a tinfoil beanie, 
thankyouverymuch! - but I have concerns that Google, by becoming ever more useful, will actually become a huge threat 
to our privacy. I am, however, somewhat contrarian and very indivudalistic, so I do not buy into either the "the sun 
shines out of Google's.. servers!" or the "Google are EEEEVIL!" schools of thought.


I hope this clarifies my position?


Cheers,




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