Google Copies Your Hard Drive

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

So say the folks at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (John Barlow et al.).

Google Copies Your Hard Drive

Consumers Should Not Use New Google Desktop

San Francisco - Google today announced a new "feature" of its Google Desktop software that greatly increases the risk to consumer privacy. If a consumer chooses to use it, the new "Search Across Computers" feature will store copies of the user's Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets and other text-based documents on Google's own servers, to enable searching from any one of the user's computers. EFF urges consumers not to use this feature, because it will make their personal data more vulnerable to subpoenas from the government and possibly private litigants, while providing a convenient one-stop-shop for hackers who've obtained a user's Google password.

"Coming on the heels of serious consumer concern about government snooping into Google's search logs, it's shocking that Google expects its users to now trust it with the contents of their personal computers," said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. "If you use the Search Across Computers feature and don't configure Google Desktop very carefully—and most people won't—Google will have copies of your tax returns, love letters, business records, financial and medical files, and whatever other text-based documents the Desktop software can index. The government could then demand these personal files with only a subpoena rather than the search warrant it would need to seize the same things from your home or business, and in many cases you wouldn't even be notified in time to challenge it. Other litigants—your spouse, your business partners or rivals, whoever—could also try to cut out the middleman (you) and subpoena Google for your files."

The privacy problem arises because the Electronic Communication Privacy Act of 1986, or ECPA, gives only limited privacy protection to emails and other files that are stored with online service providers—much less privacy than the legal protections for the same information when it's on your computer at home. And even that lower level of legal protection could disappear if Google uses your data for marketing purposes. Google says it is not yet scanning the files it copies from your hard drive in order to serve targeted advertising, but it hasn't ruled out the possibility, and Google's current privacy policy appears to allow it.

"This Google product highlights a key privacy problem in the digital age," said Cindy Cohn, EFF's Legal Director. "Many Internet innovations involve storing personal files on a service provider's computer, but under outdated laws, consumers who want to use these new technologies have to surrender their privacy rights. If Google wants consumers to trust it to store copies of personal computer files, emails, search histories and chat logs, and still 'not be evil,' it should stand with EFF and demand that Congress update the privacy laws to better reflect life in the wired world."

[Esau]

It also causes tooth decay in children and parvo in puppies.

[bouche]

yeah, don't worry, it's entirely up to you to allow this feature. If you do use it, it may be a good tool.

I'm sure they'll offer a private version that you need to pay for. This is probably another one of their betas. Google's testing the waters to see what's gonna fly. They have so many little web tools out, it's mind boggling.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

On the surface, anyway, it seems more a problem for Americans, whose civil liberties seem to have been given such an obvious kick in the crotch. I can't begin to imagine how CSIS etc. operate these days, though.

I still wonder if you could build any sort of defence with the claim that everything on your computer was material being accumulated and/or studied for a work of post-modern fiction .

[mattm]

Hehe, those funny americans. Don't they know that if the government wants their shit they'll just take it. The government is so corrupt down there that I don't think some little rules like a subpena will stop anyone. Didn't they have wiretaps for listening to conversations long before 911 (which allowed them to pass laws so that they could be made public)? I think I read that somewhere but it may have been in the Echo last week (right at the front, a bunch of reasons to impeach bush) and I don't know how reliable they are.

If the americans cared about their privacy they'd kick bush out so obviously it's not a major concern.

I think it's a great idea.