Don't Be Evil

Google is a company nearly everyone likes. In any area of the market that they choose to dominate, they usually enter the arena intelligently, and just take over the place.

Gmail, the Android OS, of course internet search engines....just about everything Google touches is golden.

As they've done so well I've cheered for them, cause I remember reading a book way back in the day about the company. The main point of the book was to share the story of how Google started up, and how from it's founding their motto was "don't be evil."

I think they've been pretty good about staying on the straight and narrow for a long time. They were hacked by Chinese hackers a few months ago and some of their users' personal information was lost (scary thing), but in response they hacked the Chinese hackers right back (and in under a day).

They have some of the most brilliant people in the world working there.

So, everything seems pretty great. But lately the budding conspiracy theorist has been getting a little worried.

Here's why.

Just a few days ago I was using the google document feature and I clicked on the "other services button." I found out that Google has a medical records feature. What it does is it lets you input all your medical history so that it is held in one location...then doctor's offices can download it and get all your info. This is helpful because it makes it so doctors could get an accurate impression of your medical history....but the downside is that Google now knows nearly everything about another (and very intimate) aspect of your life.

Google knows what you search on the internet (although they've been good about not releasing that information), they know the books you read (google books), they know about your health (google medical record), basically, they have a profile on nearly everyone and everything, but fortunately, that profile was limited to the material you willingly provided on the internet.

This has sorta changed (and this is why I'm a little worried).

I just read an article about the google street car. If any of you don't know what that is, it's a little car that Google has (there are actually quite a few of them) that goes around and takes pictures of everything. It has probably driven down your street and taken pictures of your lawn gnomes already.

This is sorta cool because it makes google maps more accurate, and it makes the pictures available far more detailed. Someday the dream is that you'll be able to take a picture of your surroundings on your mobile phone, upload the picture, and if you're lost, google will be able to determine where you're at from your picture and unlost you (I think I made up a word).

This would be sorta handy.

What isn't as commonly known is that the google car was doing more than taking pictures of everything. As it drove down your street, it also noted your MAC address.

Your MAC address is your static address on the internet. When you access the internet this is your permanent address and it's linked to your computer.

Theoretically, if they have your MAC address, and they can link that to the picture they took of your real address (which they did at the same time) and you access all their services through your MAC address....then everything you do on the internet isn't so private anymore. Google has the information necessary to figure out everything about you....and to connect that information to you.

There is always a fine line between convenience and security. It's always been that way. It's how things have to work. For example, if you keep all your belongings in one place it's convenient...but it's easier to rob you.

Convenience comes from letting someone or something else do things for you...whether that's computers or robots or hired help....but this creates a dependency and a liability. When computers go down, businesses and lives stop....when robots revolt you get an apocalyptic science fiction movie, and when hired help turns on you they can turn to a competitor, or just flat out disrupt your life. This is the balance...you figure out how much convenience you want...and then you pay for that convenience with your security.

Google is extremely convenient. That company knows so much about all of us (they are in the business of collecting information after all). So, the cost is that we place a lot of trust in them...cause they now hold our security.

The Google CEO recently tried to quite the sort of fears I'm now voicing by saying that only people who have something to fear should fear about privacy...but that's just not true. That statement is painfully vague and it does nothing to explain why they need to collect information about EVERY aspect of our lives....information that goes beyond the services they now provide.

Now, I'm not a conspiracy theorist or anything. I usually laugh when I hear about the things people usually worry about...but I am a little bit bothered by this MAC address thing...because the possible benefits are outweighed by invasiveness. I think the Google CEO had things backward....those that abide the law, and those who have nothing to hide...those are the ones that should be worried....because their obeying the law makes them the one demographic that should be allowed privacy.

Anyway, this just me worrying out loud this morning. I always knew that google knew a lot about me, but I always thought that what they knew ended with what I willingly put on the internet. The google street car goes beyond what I willingly put on the internet...and this scares me.

Well, that's my rant for the morning. Here's the article if you want to read it:

google streetcars.

Have a great day.