Google as a Security Threat

Google is the Largest Threat to Security

Whether it is in your home or at your work; Google software is a security threat that you should be worried about. Every term you ever search for from Google is tied to a user ID that is specific to you unless you effectively manage your cookies. This has been known and has become standard with search engine monsters. All the Gmail is stored forever read and analyzed for statistical use. However the threat from within is lesser known. Google Desktop- a program to help you index and find your files quickly and effectively saves index of all the files on your computer ties them with your cookie and sends them in to Google HQ. An unauthorized installation of this legitimate software at home or at work make this is the most effective security leak ever. Upon installation, users agree to terms of use and give Google permission to get this information. This makes Google on the biggest and most effective intelligence agencies in the world.

Stomping on privacy rights is no new practice for Google. In the name of greed they gave up user information to Chinese Governments who found these individuals searching for democracy and bypassing its censored search engine. Google was fully aware that giving up this information would likely result in the execution or disappearance of these individuals.

Soon you will see a lawsuit against Google for unlawfully obtaining trade secrets, or private information on the grounds that unauthorized personnel installed the software and Google gained from the information it received. Although uninformed, Google is still guilty. Stealing is stealing and Google does not belong on my client’s desktop. The question becomes why hasn’t Google been flagged as spyware? Why does the government do nothing?

The answers are simple. Google collects this information from millions of people. To get this information, the government would normally have to go through a subpoena process, and other special court procedures to spy on individuals and tap into their systems. However, if one entity has all the information desired on millions of people the government need only 1 subpoena and an excuse like to support a bill that defends children from internet porn access.

An example of how the government making use of these statistics is made most apparent in the film “V for Vendetta” where the government uses live real-time statistics based on surveillance and wire taps far more effective than polls or a census to understand how the people are feeling or thinking at any point in time so they can respond accordingly. Make no mistake the government already reads every email ever sent or received. As for the census, it is getting an upgrade as well, switching to handheld broadband phones to deliver instantaneous information. But the government and the law cannot keep up with the changes in technology as recent problems with tracking VOIP have pointed out, as illustrated everyday by corporate greed and the use of legal loopholes, and hackers protesting all the way and inventing new ways to communicate.

As if the software isn’t bad enough, it also must come pre-packaged with every single Dell computer that is shipped across the country. Millions of people did not even approve the Google-desktop license agreement and you can bet that that will have some legal repercussions soon as well.

The Moral of the story is do not use Google Desktop software, use Copernic Desktop instead. Copernic does not send indexes to the company so there is no security leak Find it @ http://www.copernic.com