When a quick unknown fact or question arises in us, we “Google It”. Google is the largest and most powerful search engine in the world. But with the rise of popularity also comes the rise of power. In 2013, Google had 1.1 billion users a month creating over 114 billion searches (Fox). The fact is Google is doing something right, while on the other hand, to be able to attract this amount of people monthly, also means they are doing something outside of our privacy rights, therefore, I want to show you the different ways in which your tracked on Google and recommend a new search engine called DuckDuckGo.
Launching in 1997, Google has grown as a superpower around the world in only 17 years of business (Bullas). The simple, quick, and instant responses to just about anything are incredible. But what goes on behind the scenes in Google? According to Gabriel Weinberg, the Software Producer, and current CEO of DuckDuckGo search engine, “Google is increasingly tailoring your searches based on your search history”. This is known as Individual profiling. The process of individual data profiling is when Google gathers information about you, whether it is the content of your gmail, your Google Plus, or even your searches,and organizes it into your own user data information, your user data is then used in various different ways. Profiling raises a few red flags in respect to the user. First, you must realize that anything you search can be tracked by any Google worker, or used against you in court (Weinberg). And second, your history gives search engines the information needed to direct you toward higher hotel prices etc. for the convenience of advertising companies (Mattioli).
Another frightening fact is that Lawyers are hungry for your sear...
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"Gabriel Weinberg, Founder of Duck Duck Go, at Gel 2013." Vimeo. Gel Conference, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Helm, Louie. "Anything You Search For Can and Will Be Used Against You in a Court of Law | Singularity Hub." Singularity Hub. N.p., 15 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Mattioli, Dana. "On Orbitz, Mac Users Steered to Pricier Hotels." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
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Did you know that almost everything you do on the internet is being tracked and recorded in some way? In the Article, George Orwell… Meet Mark Zuckerberg, by Lori Andrews, Andrews talks about how behavioral advertising, which is the tracking of consumer’s online activities in order to bring custom-made advertisements, is a topic that is concealed to many people and can cause damage. Search engines like Google store the searches you have made and in 2006 there were search logs released which had personal information that people were judged by (Andrews 716-717). Data aggregation is the main way Facebook makes its money. Andrews believes that it’s an invasion of privacy and is not known well enough by the public. This article is aimed at young and new internet users that are ignorant of the possible dangers on the web. Lori Andrews is successful at informing novice users about the dangers of behavioral
In the Engineering and Technology Journal, two engineers, Gareth Mitchell and Guy Clapperton, gave their thoughts on both sides of the privacy issue. Is gathering information violating personal privacy? They made their arguments using currency as a metaphor for personal information and online services a product. Mitchell argues the case that giving out personal information is “too high a price to pay” (Mitchell, 2013, p. 26). He says that despite the option to opt out of cookies and certain information, many sites are more covert and make their opt out option less accessible than a pop up asking to opt out. The site makes it hard for the Internet user to say no to being tracked. Mitchell warns the reader to take more consideration into what information they are giving away and that “privacy is not to be taken for granted” (Mitchell, 2013, p. 26). Getting information from the Internet would mean tra...
The personal connection Americans have with their phones, tablets, and computers; and the rising popularity of online shopping and social websites due to the massive influence the social media has on Americans, it is clear why this generation is called the Information Age, also known as Digital Age. With the Internet being a huge part of our lives, more and more personal data is being made available, because of our ever-increasing dependence and use of the Internet on our phones, tablets, and computers. Some corporations such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook; governments, and other third parties have been tracking our internet use and acquiring data in order to provide personalized services and advertisements for consumers. Many American such as Nicholas Carr who wrote the article “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty, With Real Dangers,” Anil Dagar who wrote the article “Internet, Economy and Privacy,” and Grace Nasri who wrote the article “Why Consumers are Increasingly Willing to Trade Data for Personalization,” believe that the continuing loss of personal privacy may lead us as a society to devalue the concept of privacy and see privacy as outdated and unimportant. Privacy is dead and corporations, governments, and third parties murdered it for their personal gain not for the interest of the public as they claim. There are more disadvantages than advantages on letting corporations, governments, and third parties track and acquire data to personalized services and advertisements for us.
From Facebook to Twitter, you can find out what is happening in the world that is “trending.” Is it okay to let companies like Google keep Internet browsing history and use it to lure users? Some might not feel it as a problem but what if Google is not the only one possessing that information? Well, that is precisely what is happening. Google and a reported 140 other companies are already tracking user to fit advertisements to their user’s recent history or videos they have watch that the...
Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid." July/August 2008. The Alantic Magazine. 20 February 2012 .
The Google search engine found at http://www.google.com/ offers many features, including language and document translation; web, image, newsgroups, catalog, and news searches; and more. These features offer obvious benefits to even the most uninitiated web surfer, but these same features offer far more nefarious possibilities to the most malicious Internet users, including hackers, computer criminals, identity thieves, and even terrorists. This article outlines the more harmful applications of the Google search engine, techniques that have collectively been termed "Google hacking." The intent of this article is to educate web administrators and the security community in the hopes of eventually stopping this form of information leakage. This document is an excerpt of the full Google Hacker's Guide published by Johnny Long, and located at http://johnny.ihackstuff.com/.
Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Print Kuhn, Betsy. Prying Eyes: Privacy in the Twenty-First Century? Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2008.
This report will describe the history of government regulations and FTC. How that applied to Google search and personal privacy. The changes made from the settlement between Google and the FTC, the difference Google's practices and policies from before the settlement and after the settlement, and the current demands and expectations from current and vocal Google users. The report will also draw a conclusion from the findings and will determine if additional regulations are needed or if the regulations currently in place are sufficient.
Google has implemented a number of features to address the privacy concerns of the public. The company has worked very hard to ‘anonymize’ the available data using their face and license plate blurring technologies. These make it difficult to recognize people or their cars from photos in Street View. To check that this blurring technology is doing its job correctly, however, Google must keep the origi...
Are the benefits of electronic communication at the expense of our privacy? How does the Internet affect the availability and use of our personal information? The Internet brings another dimension to the issue of privacy. Whether you are voting on-line or buying a book from Amazon.com you must consider how much personal information has been collected about you, with or without your consent, and how it can be used. Policies governing privacy on the Internet are still not clearly defined and many on-line users do not understand how the information they provide will be used. How much...
Powell, Robert. "Four Ways Technology Invades Your Privacy." Lovemoney.com. N.p., 5 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
As can be seen, from the information presented, the need for laws and restrictions concerning internet data collection is greatly needed. Moreover, the government can search private citizens data without warrant or cause. Also, companies are not only collecting internet user data but also selling it. The companies and agencies who commit such crimes should be fined or either closed down. In closing, the privacy and security of individuals on the internet should be upheld by the United States government.
Gonchar, Michael. “What Is More Important: Our Privacy or National Security?” New York Times. New York Times, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
Google is the largest search engine across the globe, which has significantly transformed the use of the Internet as an information source. The influence of Google in Internet use as information source is evident in the fact that by June 2010, it accounted for more than 70 percent of total Internet searches in America. In addition to its success and profitability in the global market, Google is renowned as a highly ethical company as demonstrated in its corporate philosophy features. However, the firm’s behavior during the launch of its China-based search engine in 2006 generated huge skepticism from the United States government and several human rights organizations (Baker & Tang, p.2). Since the launch of Google’s Chinese search engine, the company complied with China’s censorship regulations by deciding to filter out terms that are considered politically sensitive. This decision attracted criticism from political leaders and human rights activists who accused Google of betraying its adopted ethical standards by ignoring the essence of freedom of expression and information access. As a result, Google faced a dilemma involving the clash between law and ethics. In the subsequent years, Google reacted to the dilemma by changing its rhetoric strategies in efforts to respond to the changing needs.
Sisto, Joseph. "Do Celebrities Forfeit the Right to Privacy?" Lawyers Weekly jan. 2005: N.p. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. .