Google Paranoia - Check Under Your Bed

By Editor on Jun 30, 2008 in Tech Talk

OK- Google is not waiting for you under your bed, but it is in a lot of other places you might not know about.

Not too long ago Google acquired FeedBurner and a lot of bloggers online switched their feed to an external FeedBurner XML file - meaning their entire readership is under the indirect control of Google.

YouTube is another site now owned by Google. In the recent 12 months the amount of GMail users has increased exponentially. Posts on the web like Google in bed with U.S. intelligence seem to attract a little attention - but does anyone really care? DOES ANYONE REALLY CARE? Ok - enough with the paranoia. Here are some facts about Google from MSNBC:

  • Google Maps - one of the biggest threats to privacy online to date.
  • Apple iPhone to get Google tools.
  • Blogger - one of the most popular blogging platforms now owned by Google
  • Facial recognition on Google image search.
  • Google invests in developing smarter AJAX technologies and integrates into webmaster tools - webmaster tools, Google Analytics, and Adwords are both million-user markets.

Speaking of webmaster tools, I discovered a GMail API a few weeks back that allows webmasters to run GMail on their own .com domains. It seems Google is expanding to become the internet in a manner of speaking. JonathanCrossfield.com discusses the impact Google algorithms have on search engine placement and the potential for abuse in his post Is Google Really the Bogeyman?

On Our Tiptoes

Do You Have Googlenoia?, one blog post asked. Creating content to impress Google sounds a lot like giving partial content control over to a single corporation. Can you Live Without Google? points out some of the factors that make being on good terms with Google essential for all webmasters.

As users we do not always see the big G before posting a video or burning an RSS feed, but it is there, collecting and analysing our data in the background. Danny Brown writes Google Earth Encourages Teenage Kicks which is a plausible look at how Google maps can be used right now for basic information and data analysis by parents, employers, and anyone else who feels like delving into your life from the satellites above.

Google might not be waiting under your bed - but it seems to be everywhere else these days. The recent introduction of a Google Health site to store private medical records sparked even further debate about the extent to which Google holds power over the web of 2008. Is this just a phase in the web or should we expect a much less private world in the next few years?

More From the Blogosphere

Talk about this:
  • bodytext
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Blogsvine
  • Google
  • HealthRanker
  • laaik.it
  • Live
  • StumbleUpon

    • Popular Scale: 63%
    To increase this rating comment on this article or submit it to a social network where others can find it.

    1 Comment(s)

    1. Hey there,

      First, thanks for the shout out - appreciate it!

      Second, great blog post - Google is definitely “taking over”, at least where it counts online. While it may be all rather innocent at the minute, there’s no denying that the potential is there for it to be a “silent messenger” to people who want to know things. Google in bed with the Government - conspiracy theory or the inevitable waiting to happen?

      Cheers - you’re on my RSS feed! :)

      Danny Brown | Jun 30, 2008 | Reply

    Post a Comment

    Next Post »
    « Previous Post