many of y'all already understand this
...but for folks who still labor under the delusion that the internet = anonymity, here's a simple, non-conspiracy example of how many things on the internet work, from a computer-industry trade magazine:
Is It OK that Google Owns Us?
[e-week, free]
Make no mistake, Google owns you. The ways in which it owns you are laid out in a complaint filed by EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center) and other privacy groups with the Federal Trade Commission over Google's proposed merger with targeted advertising company DoubleClick. Here's the list of data that Google collects and retains and the technologies through which the company gets it, from the complaint:
* Google search: any search term a user enters into Google;
* Google Desktop: an index of the user's computer files, e-mails, music, photos, and chat and Web browser history;
* Google Talk: instant-message chats between users;
* Google Maps: address information requested, often including the user's home address for use in obtaining directions;
* Google Mail (Gmail): a user's e-mail history, with default settings set to retain emails "forever";
* Google Calendar: a user's schedule as inputted by the user;
* Google Orkut: social networking tool storing personal information such as name, location, relationship status, etc.;
* Google Reader: which ATOM/RSS feeds a user reads;
* Google Video/YouTube: videos watched by user;
* Google Checkout: credit card/payment information for use on other sites.
That list at some point will also likely include Google Gears (now in beta), an open-source browser extension that uses JavaScript APIs to allow users to work on Web applications when they're offline. Google Gears will be the mesh between the Internet and a local store of data kept in a user's fully searchable relational database, and thus the search giant will also gain access to data at the desktop application level. [more]
...let's be careful out there okay?
Is It OK that Google Owns Us?
[e-week, free]
Make no mistake, Google owns you. The ways in which it owns you are laid out in a complaint filed by EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center) and other privacy groups with the Federal Trade Commission over Google's proposed merger with targeted advertising company DoubleClick. Here's the list of data that Google collects and retains and the technologies through which the company gets it, from the complaint:
* Google search: any search term a user enters into Google;
* Google Desktop: an index of the user's computer files, e-mails, music, photos, and chat and Web browser history;
* Google Talk: instant-message chats between users;
* Google Maps: address information requested, often including the user's home address for use in obtaining directions;
* Google Mail (Gmail): a user's e-mail history, with default settings set to retain emails "forever";
* Google Calendar: a user's schedule as inputted by the user;
* Google Orkut: social networking tool storing personal information such as name, location, relationship status, etc.;
* Google Reader: which ATOM/RSS feeds a user reads;
* Google Video/YouTube: videos watched by user;
* Google Checkout: credit card/payment information for use on other sites.
That list at some point will also likely include Google Gears (now in beta), an open-source browser extension that uses JavaScript APIs to allow users to work on Web applications when they're offline. Google Gears will be the mesh between the Internet and a local store of data kept in a user's fully searchable relational database, and thus the search giant will also gain access to data at the desktop application level. [more]
...let's be careful out there okay?