Google is a second nature reaction for anyone who knows what a mouse and keyboard are. What’s the Burmese Capital? Google it. But google isn’t just search anymore. They provide email, blogs, and a few soon to be features like a digital library and payment service. With all of this information stored up under one company’s roof, the potential for massive information theft is a ready concern. Google has been infiltrated before, but nothing catastrophic has happened as of yet (at least not to me and my precious gmail account).
Here’s just some of the ways Google can collect data on its users:
-One of Gmail’s selling points is its ability to retain e-mail messages “forever.”
-Google’s program for scanning library books sometimes requires usernames to protect copyrights.
-The company is testing software for making Web pages load more quickly; the application routes all Web requests through its servers.
-Google also provides driving directions, photo sharing and instant messaging, and it is developing a payments service that critics say could add billing information to user profiles.