LXer: Is Google becoming the next evil empire?
 

Published at LXer:

I heard on the news this morning something about Google's founders getting close to being richer than Bill Gates. Is money the root or the root of all evil? I don't know.

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Personally speaking I'm not all that bothered by Google knowing what I search for, nor anyone else for that matter. I use the google toolbar for Firefox with "Send usage statistics to google" enabled without any fear that I am being "discovered". I don't view this as a "big brother" type scenario, though others might I suppose.

In it self it seems harmless, but my fear is that eventually someone might connect the thousands of databases out there, like credit card usage, phone records, internet searches, positioning, and a lot more! Then it becomes a truly powerful tool!

This might be a ridicules idea for now. But it has already become almost criminal to be a member of certain religions, so who's to say that in the future certain thoughts are not prohibited? Or u could use the databases for psychological profiling to identify dissidents. Or terrorists could use profiling to find depressed people willing to blow them selves up?

I know! It's ridiculous! But 6 years ago I thought the same of someone flying several planes into several buildings to make a point. And a hundred years ago people thought it ridiculous to want to fly? So things change, but why make it easier to abuse individual rights when we could choose not to?
Should we just trust the good in people not to abuse it?

But it might not become that apocalyptic, but it could be abused in other ways. Let's say your insurance company had a complete history of all you ate? Then they could say no to a life insurance based on you eating pizza more than 4 times a week? This is not that far fetched, when already today terminally ill people cannot make sure their families can go on after they're gone.

If there's one thing I've learned in my feeble 31 years, it's that there's only one thing you can trust a 100%; the indiscriminating ruthlessness of profits!

Just thought I'd air my thought on the subject, and I'll take the opportunity to renounce all affiliation of this post, if this becomes an endless "the glass is half-full or half-empty" discussion :rolleyes:

It's like I heard somewhere after the bombings in London (if I remember correctly): We have to give up some liberties for freedom. Or as I would put it: ignorance is bliss, as long as I'm not affected!

Darn, this turned political! I'll probably regret posting this...

Or then again, maybe not! lol

its just natural to be like that ... more like someone will need people like you when you reach a certain size instead of otherwise ... hack !! you cant even say no ...


//but i regeted saying that ...

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