Google Gives A Little, Very Little

Google and the great data gathering factory.
Google is apparently backing up again today announcing that they will cut back on how long the company keeps Web search histories of users from 2 years back to 18 months. Search information will become anonymous after the year and a half. I am not sure what how 6 months less time in the Google vaults could be anything to cheer about in regard to privacy issues but it is something. Google just seems to step on more and more toes in an almost effortless jaunt across the Web 2.0 landscape.

Why
In an article yesterday Paul Glazowski reflected on the Privacy International issue I reported on in this blog. Paul points out potently that Google users are not going to be exactly thrilled to find out their histories are saved for even ten minutes let alone 2 years. Here we have another situation where Google simply backs up after going too far. This is the same tactic being employed in then YouTube copyright cases.

In a letter to Google mentioned in Paul’s post Privacy International pretty much hammers Google with what appear to be legitimate issues in light of Google’s claims against the non-profit privacy organization. Essentially the letter from Simon Davies Director of Privacy International demands an apology from Google for trying to discredit the otherwise untarnished organization.

Who Do They Think They Are?
The latest news via the New York Times reveals Google’s intentions more clearly. Google says that it shares general information on search trends, but does not release this personal information outside the company. In my post yesterday I pointed out that THEY DON”T HAVE TO! Half of the advertising on the Web is filtered through Google one way or another. The same holds true for any manipulation or machinating where user preferences, trends or privacy might enter into the equation. Google went on thumbing their nose at the Web according to this NYT article.

“We believe we can still address our legitimate interests in security, innovation and antifraud efforts with this shorter period,” Peter Fleischer, Google’s global privacy counsel, wrote in the letter. He added that the company would “firmly reject” a retention period that was any shorter.

According to Google’s global privacy Czar Google could not look at other companies and find any clear privacy policies. This is tantamount to telling Google users that “no policy means we do what we want.” The absence of clear policies for the world’s most powerful Web entity should indicate the need to supply their users with one don’t you think? Google is open to dialogue according to Fleisher, but given the statement about shorter data holding, it sounds like doubletalk to me.

Conclusion
Google just announced today that they would be testing technology to recognize copyrighted video and audio in response (after months) to the Viacom and Premier League lawsuits. I just reported at Profy about the latest companies to jump on YouTube in the class action suit. This is all becoming so systematic and predictable and really sickening in my book. Google is stacking up like one of those bullies you have to stomp an apology out of when they go wrong. In fairness to them (why I do not know) the other big companies practice some of the same tactics and use people’s information. However, no other entity has nearly as much control over the data collected. Maybe 20 or 30 million users migrating somewhere else because they were not aware of Google’s practices would equate to a good “stomping”