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| Please enable javascript to use tools. Google's powerful but controversial new search feature, which allows PC users to search files on remote computers, has come under heavy fire from the EFF for potential privacy violations. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights advocate, recently issued a stern warning to consumers about using an enhancement to Google Desktop that stores copies of the contents of their hard drives on the search company s servers.
Thinkpad (AXcess News) Houston, TX - Earlier this week, Google released its beta version of Google Desktop 3.0 toolbar, which includes a feature that allows Google Users to search across multiple computers. Thursday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an online watchdog group for Internet civil liberties, cautioned Googlers about their privacy in using the Search Feature included in Google Desktop 3.0.
If you have Google, Yahoo, Windows, or X1 desktop search installed on your computer, you can search your desktop from any mobile phone.
Microsoft The EFF said the Google Desktop search feature greatly increases the risk to consumer privacy. If a consumer chooses to use it, the EFF explained, the new "Search Across Computers" feature will store copies of the user's Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets and other text-based documents on Google's own servers, to enable searching from any one of the user's computers.
Google Desktop gives you easy access to information on your computer and from the web. It's a desktop search application that provides full text search over your email, computer files, music, photos, chats and web pages that you've viewed. By making your computer searchable, Google Desktop puts your information easily within your reach and frees you from having to manually organize your files, emails and bookmarks. It makes searching your computer as easy as searching the web with Google.
Laptop Computers In AXcess News story on the Google Desktop 3.0 toolbar, technology reporter Dave Porter outlined the features of Google's search feature. However, Dave says that at the time he wrote that story he was "unaware that Google required the Desktop 3.0 user to upload that content to Google's server." Dave assumed it merely connnected to your other computer once you ok'd that access.
Summary This tool searches different specific Google datacenters for your site, based on the keyword searches you define. Benefits Feedback from this tool allows you to make improvements on your site so that it ranks better in the Google search engine. More details The Google search engine has datacenters in various locations around the country. Depending on which of Google's servers is being queried, the search results tend to vary.
Laptop Computer EFF urged consumers not to use the Google Desktop 3.0 toolbar's Search Feature, "because it will make their personal data more vulnerable to subpoenas from the government and possibly private litigants, while providing a convenient one-stop-shop for hackers who've obtained a user's Google password.," wrote the EFF.
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Desktop Computer "Coming on the heels of serious consumer concern about government snooping into Google's search logs, it's shocking that Google expects its users to now trust it with the contents of their personal computers," said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. "If you use the Search Across Computers feature and don't configure Google Desktop very carefully - and most people won't - Google will have copies of your tax returns, love letters, business records, financial and medical files, and whatever other text-based documents the Desktop software can index. The government could then demand these personal files with only a subpoena rather than the search warrant it would need to seize the same things from your home or business, and in many cases you wouldn't even be notified in time to challenge it. Other litigants - your spouse, your business partners or rivals, whoever - could also try to cut out the middleman (you) and subpoena Google for your files."
Notebooks Bankston explained his reasoning for his comments in explaining the privacy problem that arises out of the Electronic Communication Privacy Act of 1986. The ECPA, gives only limited privacy protection to emails and other files that are stored with online service providers - much less privacy than the legal protections for the same information when it's on your computer at home, Bankston writes. even that lower level of legal protection could disappear if Google uses your data for marketing purposes. Google says it is not yet scanning the files it copies from your hard drive in order to serve targeted advertising, but it hasn't ruled out the possibility, and Google's current privacy policy appears to allow it.
Lenovo I need to point out that AXcess News' technology reporter, Dave Porter, skimmed the issue of Google's possible use ofinformation it gathers for advertising purposes, but AXcess News has not examined the legalize of Google's Privacy Policy like Bankston has, nor will we"opine" on the ECPA limitations of privacy.That's best left to legal experts - like EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston.
On a political forefront, EFF Legal Director, Cindy Cohn comment on the civil liberties of Internet users privacy, pointedly remarking on Google's position to join in lobbying Congress to update privacy laws.
"This Google product highlights a key privacy problem in the digital age," said Cindy Cohn, EFF's Legal Director. "Many Internet innovations involve storing personal files on a service provider's computer, but under outdated laws, consumers who want to use these new technologies have to surrender their privacy rights. If Google wants consumers to trust it to store copies of personal computer files, emails, search histories and chat logs, and still 'not be evil,' it should stand with EFF and demand that Congress update the privacy laws to better reflect life in the wired world."
