Google Docs - maybe not
Monday, October 22, 2007 at 08:54AM Google’s overall goal is to have a record of every e-mail we have ever written, every contact whose details we have recorded, every file we have created, every picture we have taken and saved, every appointment we have made, every website we have visited, every search query we have typed into its home page, every ad we have clicked on, and everything we have bought online. It wants to know and record where we have been and, thanks to our search history of airlines, car-hire firms and MapQuest, where we are going in the future and when. John Arlidge Google. Who's looking at you? Times of London Online, October 21, 2007. (Thanks to Stephen's Lighthouse for this link.)
As do many Internet users, I take major advantage of Google products. The search engines (of course), the iGoogle startpage, gmail, and more recently, Google Docs. Our tech department has even been tossing around the idea of replacing our Exchange e-mail/calendaring/contacts server with an institutional version of Google Apps. The ease, effectiveness, and cost - or lack thereof - make Google's stuff very, very seductive.
But are we paying a hidden, very high price - our privacy - for Google's services? I agree with Stephen Abrams when he suggests that "[The above] article should be must reading in all information literacy education. Our users (and ourselves) should be making conscious choices."
I've written about the need for teaching students to be making informed choices about how much information they provide online "So Tell Us a Little About Yourself" that goes beyond simply protecting oneself from strangers. My recommendation in 2003 was:
“How much do you want others to know about you?” is a question we should be asking our students to ask themselves. It is a question that can only have a personal answer. But it should be an informed answer.
I'll stand by that. And suggest that the issue is more important now than ever.
Oh, for those of you who Twitter each stray thought, personal itch, and titch of gossip, do you ever wonder who might be collecting and analyzing these bits?
Reader Comments (13)
Your point was brought home to me a few weeks ago when I did a Google search on songs of Glen Campbell so that I could complete a crossword puzzle clue. I am not a fan of country music, nor would I have done this search if it had not been for the crossword puzzle. The next time I went to Amazon to search for a book, the usual recommendations based on my previous purchases began with the music of Glen Campbell. I found that frightening and spooky, and I realized at that point just how much Google knows about me, how much Amazon knows about me, and how much they must be sharing with one another. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
I realized how much Twitter gives out when I Googled myself and found my latest Twitter posts. AND they weren't ones I really wanted some people to see. I am much more selective about what I post now.
I think if you use the Internet, you need to be aware that your thoughts can be collected and you have to be responsible about what you do. I have given a great deal of thought about what I put out there now and don't put anything out that I wouldn't stand up in a crowded auditorium and say.
Hi Mary,
Come on, you're a closet Glen Campbell fan. Admit it!
Seriously, I did not know Google and Amazon shared data. THAT is scary!
Thanks for the post,
Doug
I think this is an important post to read. We must know that all the world is a stage. We must be careful to protect our own privacy. All these things are free free free -- but if it is free there is a price that is paid, always.
As we discuss literacy, we must also discuss privacy. Great!
I hesitated to add the email address because - look - it is gmail. Thanks for the article link and I will go read it. I am a big user of google aps, and it is of course my primary search engine. When I realize how much of my life is indexed I always flash on a discussion between Travis McGee and Meyer (I know you are a fan too.) in which Travis is railing against the oncoming plasticization of the world in the form of credit cards which gather so much of your information. Meyer makes the argument that in the future privacy will be found in the large amount of information that can be gathered about you, and that those who stand out will be those who do not have vast amounts of data attached to their names. I wish I remember which title, but I can't. I can only imagine what Trav and Meyer (ok MacDonald) would say now.
I think I will have to google myself. I have never thought of that before. I wonder if putting information online is the same as applying for a credit card in an actual store. They probably just enter it into a computer.
Hi Betty,
The web security experts recommend doing a search on oneself once in a while just to make sure there is not negative information posted somewhere. I suspect this easier for people whose last names aren't as common as Johnson!
Yeah, I wonder when the same people who refuse to purchase something online with a credit card number are very willing to give a card to a waiter who then disappears with it for some time. Go figure.
All the best,
Doug
Doug, Do you reservations about this Google product extend to Google Reader? Is Bloglines any better with security?
Hi Elena,
I can't answer this one for sure, but the safe bet is to believe everything is recorded and stored someplace. Sorry to sound paranoid!
Doug
As a result of reading this post I did a Google Search of me. I found any thing I have ever said in a Ning Community. I belong to a couple. I was thinking of making one for my extended families so that the children could be included. I am glad I saw that because I unsure if I want that. Any suggestions that would be more secure for a family?
Hi Ms. Mize,
You didn't leave an email address so I hope you read my response here. My guess (and it is only a guess) is how restrictive you make your Ning settings. Open Nings I'm sure are indexed; perhaps those that are closed are not. I think I would contact the Ning providers with this question prior to using their service to plan my next bank robbery with my cousins.
All the best,
Doug
Security and privacy are illusions. If you want something kept private, encrypt it with PGP/GPG. Otherwise, if it's online, it's public information, just undiscovered. The only safety lies in the idea that it's not been found yet, or no one has been given a reason to find it.
I imagine it like a seashore covered with shells, each unique. In the end, it may be that all the shells get picked up and looked at, but the fact is, more shells are popping up than are disappearing. If you must hide, hide in plain sight.
Miguel Guhlin
Around the Corner-MGuhlin.net
http://mguhlin.net
Hi Miguel,
Depressing, but good advice.
So just how can I communicate safely with others when I want to plan my stick-ups?
All the best,
Doug