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General discussion

google gdrive : see no evil hear no evil do evil

Mar 9, 2006 10:52PM PST

<rant>

The more I look at Google the more I dislike them, it seems that this whole ''we're here to organize the worlds data'' is just an execuse to have everybody submit their precious data to their systems so that they can mine it into oblivious and make a pretty

Discussion is locked

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I agree
Mar 9, 2006 11:44PM PST

I would never trust Google with my private data. I'm very happy keeping control over my data, nor do I really have the need to access my data from other places (since my primary work computer is a laptop). Google's main business function is, after all, advertising.

-Terry

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Don't worry too much.
Mar 10, 2006 12:10AM PST

With the Gdrive, I am 100% sure you will be able to choose which information you do and do not want to be on their servers.

If Google could index my brain, I'd probably say "Bring it on!"

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My privacy is not yours
Mar 10, 2006 12:59AM PST

I agree with that statement, YOU will be able to select what you put on the Gdrive and what not, but will you decide for me ?

Example: If I sent you a picture (or any piece of information) of my family in confidence ... you will probably share your picture directory, I might not share your believes or confidence in technology. Nevertheless my picture will be shared on the GDrive ... and is accesible to google (or any other single corporation) if I want to not ...

- Xabra

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Trust no one...
Mar 10, 2006 1:12AM PST

That is not a trust-in-Google issue; that is a "do you trust your friends" issue. The friend you send that picture to could just as easily attach it to a blog post, and then it would show up in a Google Image search. A few minutes in Photoshop by someone who found it randomly - and now you're the funniest thing at ebaums worlds.

I do agree that Google is asking for too much. Good ideas in though - bad ideas in practice.

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Trust
Mar 10, 2006 2:18AM PST

The statement that a company is being evil by offering a service that a lot of people would find very useful is tiring. Until such a time that this company does something that truly violates my trust, it deserves the benefit of the doubt and I will give it. So far, I've been quite happy with Google's stance on protecting my privacy (as an American).

It's policy towards China is up for debate depending upon whether you think it's "more evil" to give in a little bit and have a presence that might ultimately change China's oppression or just walk away and leave them with nothing more than a state-controlled system that will never release its iron grip.

I agree with '79, if you don't want your stuff potentially being placed online by your friends, don't send stuff to your friends. It's not like that can't happen now with or without G-Drive.

-Kevin S.

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Don't use them then.
Mar 10, 2006 1:28AM PST

That leaves more storage for me.

-Kevin S.

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LOL
Mar 10, 2006 2:36AM PST

Yup, me too.

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storage
Mar 10, 2006 6:54AM PST

Isn?t their storage infinite? Happy

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lol

lol - i think the <rant> tag should become a html standard.

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Google does advertising, not data mining...
Mar 10, 2006 2:14AM PST

Rants are fun, but this one... meh. It's based on the idea that Google wants to sell our information, and why would they?

Google doesn't NEED to sell people's data. Their entire goal is to get people to the places where their ads are placed; if you get hooked on their various services and on every page is a few ads, that's their income right there. Data mining and then selling it to others doesn't make any sense, because as soon as they start doing that EVERYONE WILL STOP USING GOOGLE. It's not like Google has any kind of control over their users - they could fall just as fast as they rose if they started abusing people's trust.

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... but I really like avocados ...
Mar 10, 2006 2:24AM PST

Datamining may not be their goal, but the information is still useful to them. If I log in to Google's personalized services, and their last indexing of my stuff shows that I really like guacamole and am religiously searching for tips for growing avocados, then even though I'm searching for "fun things to do with transformers AND bottle rockets," I might be distracted by the ad that I see for the first time exclaiming "Grow your avocado bigger in just 24 hours!"

Improbable but plausable. The technology is there if they wanted to use it.

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I'm waiting...
Mar 10, 2006 3:11AM PST

For the Google Implant, a device that gets placed in your head, and indexes your knowledge while you are sleeping. That way, when you are awake, you have quick, topical access to anything you know. With such a device, I would be less prone to be the absent-minded dolt that I normally am during the day.

Happy

-Ryan

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are you kidding?
Mar 10, 2006 6:49AM PST

They will have to pry my hard drive out of my cold dead hands.
-Joe

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a healthy paranoia (?) is the best defense
Mar 10, 2006 8:33AM PST

I'm guessing you have little to worry about because you're alert enough to see what's going on, & what the possible downside could be - even if it's not intentional.
I really doubt Google is intentionally evil. It's a shortighted business model.
The people who really have to worry are the clueless noobs who keep spam profitable by responding to the dumbest scams. They're the ones most likely to be hurt by abuse of something like GDisk or the controversial mirroring features in Google Desktop. Then again, these are also the people most likely to trash their never-backed-up drives or have their naked Winboxes drafted into some script kiddie's zombie army, so GDisk might be worth the risk for them.