Just
as the song lyrics state, when it comes to Google, there is nowhere to run and
nowhere to hide. Well, you might be able to hide if you go completely off the
grid. That may get one over on Google’s
watchful eye, but I’d be willing to bet that Google already has that scenario covered
as well. There is no escaping the fact that Google is everywhere and it is beginning
to seem that Google’s reach is unlimited.
Google
collects some pretty intricate data from millions of people in a variety of
ways on a daily basis. This goes unnoticed by the vast majority of society on a
daily basis as well. We ensure our trust
in a company that knows more about us than we know about ourselves, yet Google’s
corporate mission is to organize the world's information and make it
universally accessible and useful'. (Naughton, 2005)
Worried
yet? The idea that Google collects data from millions of its accounts every day can be unsettling to some. Others think that Google is a necessary evil
that is tolerated in exchange for the variety of free services that they offer.
So
what exactly is Google tracking through all of our keystrokes, clicks and page
views? The answer is simply that they are tracking our online behavior. Haven’t you ever wondered why most of the ads
you see nowadays are ones that pertain to your specific interests? It’s not a coincidence, it’s what I like to
call being cyber-stalked.
Google
has taken your data and turned it around to market right back to you. People see
this as the norm nowadays. I think it can be handy, but it’s a little too “1984”
for my tastes.
The
questions that really need answered are what is Google doing with all of this
information that they are collecting? Is it just for marketing purposes or is
it something completely out of line? How much data is enough to suffice? How much about me do they truly know? These are the questions I am hoping to shed
some light on, in this week’s post.
What
I would like to take a look at is how Google stacks up in the ethics, privacy
and security departments. I believe that
these are the three areas that can best identify just how much Google is
capable of.
Google
Since
its inception in 1999, Google has focused almost exclusively on providing
services that are platform-independent in this way. Its search engine can be
accessed from any browser. Ditto Google Groups, Google Images, Google News,
Froogle, Blogger, Google Mail, Google Talk and Google Maps. (Naughton, 2005)
A
few of its offerings (notably Google Earth, Desktop Search and Picasa, a neat
program for handling and organizing digital photographs) are written
specifically to run under Microsoft Windows, but the most heavily used services
are all independent of operating systems and hardware. (Naughton, 2005)
Google's
most intensively used services are accessed via the net, so all the data
involved flows through Google's servers. And since these data are often
fragments of intensely personal information - email, web clickstreams, instant
messages, VoIP conversations - a single company is in a position to know more
about each one of us than anyone would have thought possible even a decade ago.
(Naughton, 2005)
Ethics
Arguing the ethical practices of Google presents
several problems because of the quality of the company that Google is. Their
mantra being “don’t be evil,” seems to drive a great deal of what they do.
However, in recent years, Google has become too large, too powerful, and too aware
of whom their consumers are. In large part, the Google consumer isn’t aware of
the information that is being gathered about them. It is because of this that
Google has delved into unethical practices based on “The Rights Approach.” (Meuli & Finn, n.d.)
The Rights Approach argues, “That people have
dignity based on their ability to choose freely what they will do with their
lives, and they have a fundamental moral right to have these choices respected.
People are not objects to be manipulated; it is a violation of human dignity to
use people in ways they do not freely choose.” Google has been able to monitor
and collect user information based on the fact that many of their users have
never even looked at their privacy policy or realize what Google does to gather
information. The Rights Approach believes that people may choose freely what
they will do with their lives; however, Google has eliminated choice when it
comes to gathering information. (Meuli
& Finn, n.d.)
With the cutting edge technology that Google is
known for, the line between privacy and public domain has become blurred. In
turn, several questions pertaining to the ethical aspects of Google practice
can be asked. First, is it right for Google to collect, keep and use
information that they have gathered about you? Consumers need to decide if they
are serious about privacy and think “before you Google for something, think
about whether or not you want that on your permanent record. If not, don’t
Google or take steps so that the search cannot be tied back to you.” (Meuli & Finn, n.d.)
Next, one must ask: at what point is privacy
compromised for the success of a company? What information is too much? Google
has grown exorbitantly since its creation in 1998. Much of this growth can be
attributed to Google’s ability to understand its consumers. Google is able to
gather an array of different information from its customers. They have technology
targeted at collecting as much helpful information as they can. That being
said, do customers sign away their rights to privacy when they use Google and
all of its products? To a certain extent, yes a consumer does. (Meuli & Finn, n.d.)
Privacy & Security
No
longer content to vacuum up, scan, index and sell analytics based on the
content of our texts, emails, searches, locations and more, Google now has a
new target: tapping, mapping and colonizing the networks wiring our lives. (Rosenfeld,
2014)
Anyone
who cares about maintaining some degree of privacy should pay attention. Google
has been doing a lot more than its lobbyists and executives have disclosed when
defending or promoting its initiatives. Here are four examples that underscore
Google’s corporate ethos that any data it can grab is Google’s for the taking. (Rosenfeld,
2014)
1. Street View: not just street mapping. After being sued by 38 states, Google admitted last
March that its weird-looking cars outfitted with roof cameras facing four
directions were not just taking pictures; they were collecting data from
computers inside homes and structures, including “passwords, e-mails and other
personal information from unsuspecting computer users,” the New York
Times reported.
(Rosenfeld, 2014)
2. Gmail: prying and spying. This October, a federal judge refused to dismiss a
potential class-action lawsuit brought by Gmail users who objected to its
practice of analyzing the content of all the messages on its network and
selling byproducts to advertisers. Those suing Google said it violated federal
wiretap laws. (Rosenfeld, 2014)
3. Google Safari: not just hunting Wi-Fi. Google’s court record includes more than just
grabbing and snatching data. In early 2012, the
Wall Street Journal broke the story that its software was
bypassing security settings for Apple devices using the Safari browser. “Google
hated this [Safari’s anti-tracking features] and used a secret code to bypass
this security setting,” the blog GoogleExposed wrote.
“This exposed millions of Safari users to tracking for months without them even
knowing about it.” In August 2012, the Federal Trade Commission fined Google
$22.5 million, its largest civil fine, noting that Google also had violated
previous privacy agreements. (Rosenfeld, 2014)
Final Thoughts
So
there you have it! This is not the
complete picture, but this gives one the sense that Google is bigger than one
can possibly imagine. Look at their
plans heading into the next century.
They are clearly moving past the Web 3.0 model of personalization and
are about to take things to a brand new level.
It’s honestly kind of scary. It honestly makes my skin crawl to think
that everything I do is tracked and analyzed and purposed for whatever Google
sees fit. My hope is that technology
keeps moving forward, but that more rights are developed for us to protect our
own data and have a say in what is being collected. I don’t mind participating in surveys, but
just taking my data by various methods shouldn’t be so easy to do. I don’t sleep with one eye open, but after
this week’s post, I am highly considering it!
References:
Meuli,
G. & Finn, C. (n.d.) Google: Trust, Choice and Privacy.
EthicaPublishing.com. Retrieved, November 29, 2015 from http://www.ethicapublishing.com/ethical/3CH15.pdf
Naughton,
J. (2005) Big brother is watching you. TheGuardian.com. Retrieved, November 29,
2015 from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/oct/02/searchengines.business
Rosenfeld,
S. (2014) 4 ways Google is destroying privacy and collecting your data.
Salon.com. Retrieved, November 29, 2015 from http://www.salon.com/2014/02/05/4_ways_google_is_destroying_privacy_and_collecting_your_data_partner/
