Another Google Issue
September 19, 2010
Short honk: I don’t have much to say about this series of news stories and their write ups. I thought Google’s Summer of Anguish was over. Guess not. Why? Check out these titles. You may want to read the stories, but I just skimmed them:
- Google Engineer Fired for Spying on Teenagers
- Ex-Googler Allegedly Spied on User E-Mails, Chats
- Google Fires Engineer for Privacy Breach
Not even a gentle honk from Harrod’s Creek. Maybe this will be an endless summer for the Google?
Stephen E Arnold, September 19, 2010
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ChaCha and KGB: Seeing Eye to Eye
August 23, 2010
Who offers the most trusted search system for the Web and mobile. Is Google still the most trusted “go to” Internet search engine and with the advancement of mobile technology many mobile users can now conduct Google search from their mobile device.
“ChaCha, KGB See Text Messages as Alternative to Search Engines on Cell Phones” the companies ChaCha and KGB offer customers a simpler way to get answers. Users can send a question to ChaCha through a text or voice message and simply wait for a prompt reply from an agent. This is a free service but users should be prepared to receive advertisements from various providers. KGB service guides also can be contacted in a similar fashion except users must pay 99 cents and will not receive outside advertisements. Each is responsible for scouting out the latest information and delivering the most accurate up to date information possible. It’s not likely they are going to overtake Google fans but they could be a helpful addition.
Worth watching.
April Holmes, August 24, 2010
Quote to Note: No Anonymity
August 14, 2010
Google had a rough Friday the 13th. From the land that gestated, “There is no privacy. Get over it.” comes a Mozart DuPont variation. Point your browser thingy at “Google CEO Schmidt: No Anonymity Is the Future of Web.” Here’s the quote I noted:
Privacy is incredibly important,” Schmidt stated. “Privacy is not the same thing as anonymity. It’s very important that Google and everyone else respects people’s privacy. People have a right to privacy; it’s natural; it’s normal. It’s the right way to do things. But if you are trying to commit a terrible, evil crime, it’s not obvious that you should be able to do so with complete anonymity. There are no systems in our society which allow you to do that. Judges insist on unmasking who the perpetrator was. So absolute anonymity could lead to some very difficult decisions for our governments and our society as a whole.”
I seem to recall a bit of a snit with Cnet when that outfit published information about a certain Google executive.
I like the medieval approach. The kings and queens at the top operating in one way, and then the surfs digging potatoes and watching lords and ladies do pretty much what each wants. Seems fair to me.
Stephen E Arnold, August 14, 2010
Freebie.
What Our Uncle Microsoft Knows
July 18, 2010
They all do it , so it’s unfair to single out Microsoft because pretty much every software vendor or Internet service collects information about you. Even while the experts tell us WAT, Bing and Hotmail do collect data when you use them, they also say they are not as concerned with what Big Brother ( Microsoft) knows as compared to other what other high profile companies collect. Still, they do collect data and here’s a few ways they do it. WAT, the validation process you go through when you first start your computer, doesn’t get too personal in an Orwellian sense but they do get the make and model of your computer and the region and language that applies. Bing and Hotmail get a little closer with IP addresses and unique identifiers contained in cookies. Perhaps you don’t need to worry through. Microsoft asserts that it deletes the IP addresses after six months.
Stephen E Arnold, July 18, 2010
Oui Oui to Dok Dok
July 13, 2010
It’s no surprise that email is the primary way business shares documents and personal users their information and the attachment is the modern envelope. The paradoxical problem with this method has been numbers and categorizing and there have always been many people working on streamlining this part of the Web experience.
As far as the flow of a typical business day is concerned the Holy Grail of embedded findability as far as attachments were concerned has centered around three areas:
- Verifying the most recent attachment because ( at least where business is concerned) there can be multiple ones from the same source
- Tracking the changes which makes sense where business is concerned
- Sharing changes with others
Those were the goals. And all had to be accomplished without interrupting the flow of a typical business day. This is a lucrative proposition if done right and the Canadians couldn’t ignore the possibilities with their answer called DokDok, which the Quebec firm says is an automatic way for their users to locate, update and share the most recent version of any email attachment.
The Montreal based start up was created in 2009 and they promise that DokDok is not anything like the file sharing applications that are trying to replace email. Of course one of the big questions that any prospects have here will be about security.
People want to know if DokDok will be reading their emails or at least have the ability to do so. To the firm’s credit the answer is no. DokDok only indexes metadata, none of the real content in the actual emails.
You don’t even need to give them your Google Apps password if security is your big issue. Still, nothing’s perfect and there are a few drawbacks to DokDok. It’s important to remember here that the new system works only with Gmail’s web interface and does not work with the standard Gmail account.
However, when they’re out of beta, the firm promises big changes.
It’s good to see that Google understands their services can use improving when a good idea comes along that helps to streamline a business day and increase productivity. That’s why it’s Oui Oui to DokDok.
Rob Starr, July 13, 2010
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Germany Dings Facebook
July 11, 2010
Maybe Germany has lost its patience with American companies. First, the country failed to see the innocence of the Googlers who were suck down broadcast Wi Fi data. Now Facebook is in the barrel. “German Officials Launch Legal Action against Facebook” makes clear that German authorities are not amused by Facebook. For me, the key passage in the write up was:
“We consider the saving of data from third parties, in this context, to be against data privacy laws,” said Johannes Caspar, head of Hamburg’s Data Protection Authority. Mr Caspar said he had received a number of complaints from people who had not signed up to Facebook, but whose details had been added to the site by friends. He accused Facebook of saving private data of non-members without their permission, to be used for marketing purposes.
Fun loving Californians often find their Bay to Breakers enthusiasm inappropriate for some folks. Like Google, Facebook will have to deal with what probably looks like an annoyance from Silicon Valley.
Good Bullenbeisser. Good boy.
In my experience, German officials may demonstrate some of the characteristics of the Bullenbeisser. Under slung jaw. Tenacious grip. Single mindedness. Oh, stubborn. Sometimes mean. Probably indifferent to adults running naked in the California sun.
Stephen E Arnold, July 11, 2010
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Privacy as a Competitive Advantage
July 9, 2010
Short honk: Facebook’s cavalier approach to privacy may have contributed to the firm’s summer doldrums in the 18-35 demographic. Google, adopting what reminds me of a proud ostrich,sees the world from its point of view. Duck Duck Go has taken a cue from these two companies and made privacy a competitive advantage. Point your browser at the Duck Duck go Privacy Policy. What I find interesting is that the company is probing a sensitive issue. Oracle has used a similar method with its “secure enterprise search” positioning. I think these two companies have a good idea. Perhaps Duck Duck Go will have more success with the approach than Oracle?
Stephen E Arnold, July 9, 2010
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Google May Tangle with a Red Bellied Black Snake
June 7, 2010
There are lots of dangerous creatures in Australia. Even the tiniest spider can kill you. Now Google may get a chance to become up close and personal with an Australian Red Bellied Black Snake. Point your browser to “Australia Orders Google ‘Privacy Breach’ Investigation.” The Australian authorities are not likely to kick back and relax over the issue of alleged Wi Fi intercepts. For me, the most interesting comment in the BBC write up was:
Attorney General Robert McClelland said there had been numerous complaints from the public and that police should investigate possible criminal breaches of the telecommunications privacy laws. Australian law prohibits people from accessing electronic communications for unauthorized purposes. Google has said it will co-operate with a police investigation.
Good idea, Google. A very, very good idea. My addled brain generated another observation, “The Math Club method of handling official inquiries from Australian authorities may play in Petaluma, but it may not work in Perth. Oh, here’s more about that Red Bellied Black snake. These creatures sometimes travel in pairs. That’s fun for the unwary.
Stephen E Arnold, June 7, 2010
A definite freebie
Google Spams the Goose
June 7, 2010
Short honk: I don’t write Google but Google writes me. Today I received a flock of messages enjoining me to use Picasa. No, thanks. I don’t do lots of pictures. I also am not interested in meeting new friends regardless of age, religion, race or sexual orientation. I am attracted to males who enjoy sitting quietly next to the goose pond coding and getting work done on time. This person whom Google wants me to know digitally does nothing for me:
If you are this person, please, let me know why Google thinks I need two sets of four pictures of you. Here in Harrod’s Creek, I thought I saw a person who looked a bit like you. You were in the local health club and I wondered if you were okay with my snapping your picture. It is not on Picasa, but here it is:
The Wall Street Journal was spamming me but Mr. Murdoch apparently grew weary of my publishing the conflicting prices he offered me to buy a second subscription. My real friends are not in Math Club. 🙂
Stephen E Arnold, June 7, 2010
Freebie. I like those tats, dude. Cool.
Google the Data Hoover
May 28, 2010
Today the goslings and I had a short chat about data privacy. Shortly after our discussion, I read “A Matter of Trust: 10 Places Google Collects User Data From”. Useful, but incomplete, round up of services from which Google allegedly captures user information. Worth a quick look.Then read “How Much Do You Trust Google?” Seems like a lot of people trust Google. Quite a differing view of the company. Which is accurate?
Stephen E Arnold, May 28, 2010
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