Conspiracy Theory: Does Google Know Too Much About You?

You know, I love Google’s offerings. I use alot of them. I have a gmail account. I use Google Docs, analytics, customized search pages. Google IS my home page.

I’ve always felt that the sign of a good education was not what you know as much as how good you are at being able to “ferret out” any information you need on any topic. I thought this before the invention of Google, and I think that Google has enabled the masses to be more “educated” by my own definition.

Google is how I work and play without having to store an inordinate amount of detailed information in my head — I know how to find it… on Google. But there have been a few people (myself included) lately, that have become a bit concerned with the sheer mass of information Google now possesses about individuals.

That fear is investigated (and augmented) by this online movie which is called “Master Plan: About the Power of Google.”

I also find it interesting that this movie site has a zero page rank. Especially with the emphasis on video content online, recently. *smile* Irony (or tampering) aside… it’s a good watch for those among us that worry about invasion of privacy and about information mining.

Yes, I blog on the web, I work on the web, I offer alot of information about myself on the web — but the difference is:

I want to be in total control of what information about me is shared. If I want to share it, great. If I don’t — no one else should have that information, IMHO. That’s a huge distinction for me. If I want to tell you where I’m shopping, what I’m buying, what movies I’m watching and what books I’m reading — I will. But I don’t want anyone determining this information by watching my online habits, gaining access to my rental records at the video store, or by compiling a list of the books I’ve purchased online or borrowed from the library.

Yes, privacy is a pretty difficult concept in the digital age. And I believe that if there is a “big brother” in our future, it’s not going to be the government. It’s going to be big business — and if it’s big business — who in the universe is better positioned to be that big brother than Google?

Things that make you go… Hmmmmm.

• For more information, you may want to review this forum discussion (now over a year old) on how Google’s email policy makes your privacy less about private — and more about you.
• Want to learn more about what Google has to offer? Check out Google’s offerings. And check out Google’s Hidden Features as reported by www.informit.com.
• Hacking Google: Or maybe you want to “hack” Google and use Google in ways never intended. (Just for fun, of course!)
• The Dark Site of Google: News on Google’s purchase of “dark fiber” (the result of overbuilding fiber optics in metro areas during the dot com boom, rather than building it OUT into more rural areas) to build an alternate Internet. Hmmm… (and this isn’t news… this is OLD information).

Do I love Google? Oh, yeah! Do I worry about Google… uh-huh. Sometimes. Some times more than others.