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GOOGLE HOLDS COPIES OF ALL EMAILS AND ALL WEBSITES VISITED
Terry Vanderheyden
Jan. 30, 2006
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, January 30, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Some
commentators are describing Google, the world's most used internet
search engine, as "scary," after learning that the internet giant
stores web search history and e-mails.
The UK's Times on Line reported that Google keeps an "extraordinary
amount" of user information. Google logs searches on its search
engine, storing the information "indefinitely." "Because every
computer has a unique IP (internet protocol) address, every visit to
every website can be traced back to the computer making it – a fact
which is well known in geek circles but remarkably under-publicised
outside them," the Times article explained.
Google's alternative to hotmail, their new free e-mail service,
Gmail, stores all e-mails indefinitely on their server. The company
already admits to scanning e-mails in order to send targeted
advertising.
The company's own privacy statement states that, "When you visit
Google, we send one or more cookies – a small file containing a
string of characters – to your computer that uniquely identifies your
browser. We use cookies to improve the quality of our service by
storing user preferences and tracking user trends, such as how people
search. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies, but you
can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a
cookie is being sent. However, some Google features and services may
not function properly if your cookies are disabled."
The privacy statement adds that, "When you use Google services, our
servers automatically record information that your browser sends
whenever you visit a website. These server logs may include
information such as your web request, Internet Protocol address,
browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request and
one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser."
The dangers inherent in granting governments any authority to monitor
and censor the internet for a very real good, could at the same time
lend government authority to exclude legitimate material expressing
valid viewpoints from the public square. As Canada and other
countries pass so-called hate-crimes legislation making it illegal
to, for example, condemn homosexual activity as evil, these measures
could lead to censorship or worse.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Bill Would Permit Canadian Government to Monitor Emails, Chat and
Cell Phones
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/oct/05101207.html
Privacy In Peril In Canada
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/1999/oct/99102206.html
Original Article
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