Andrew Qunice
02-14-2006, 10:30 AM
There has already been a great deal of publicity given to the fact that the latest version of Google Desktop allows Google to keep personal data on its servers for up to 30 days. However, the implications for corporates are potentially even more serious than they are for individuals.
Imagine the consequences for companies in the financial or pharmaceutical sector - say that I worked for Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan or Glaxo SmithKline was using Google’s Desktop Search to gather data to support a major deal or collate research?
The repercussions could be catastrophic if that data was to fall into the wrong hands. The value of this type of data is immense – Google Desktop Search could be a Trojan horse not only for industrial espionage but also for stock market price manipulation.
The biggest problem is that, such is the growing power of Google, there is no way in which it can be effectively policed. Google itself may well feel that trading in some privacy for added convenience makes sense for consumers. I’m not so sure.
However, most corporates are probably not fully aware of the potential.
Recently, I was looking around the web and found a site that claims to show Google user logs (http://www.google-watch.org/cgi-bin/urldemo.htm) – scary isn’t it?
Imagine the consequences for companies in the financial or pharmaceutical sector - say that I worked for Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan or Glaxo SmithKline was using Google’s Desktop Search to gather data to support a major deal or collate research?
The repercussions could be catastrophic if that data was to fall into the wrong hands. The value of this type of data is immense – Google Desktop Search could be a Trojan horse not only for industrial espionage but also for stock market price manipulation.
The biggest problem is that, such is the growing power of Google, there is no way in which it can be effectively policed. Google itself may well feel that trading in some privacy for added convenience makes sense for consumers. I’m not so sure.
However, most corporates are probably not fully aware of the potential.
Recently, I was looking around the web and found a site that claims to show Google user logs (http://www.google-watch.org/cgi-bin/urldemo.htm) – scary isn’t it?