[Colchester] Is Google Evil?

[Wayland Sothcott]

Is Google Evil?

I think this question has been asked before somewhere.

Here's the thing. They are the number one search engine and probably 
have a record of everthing I have looked up and well as everything I 
have watched on YouTube, which they may have to hand over to Paramount 
(can't spell that one beginning with V). You see Google better not be 
evil but they have so much power and power corrupts.

Google Earth is fantastic, so are Google Maps. Maps have been around for 
years, we have the Ordinace Survey, that name comes from the military 
origins of map making. A map can help guide your army and your guns and 
your cruise missiles. Google puts that power into our hands in a very 
convenient form. Google could puff a couple of clouds over something you 
want to look at, that is massive power!It is fantastic that they have 
put such power into our hands. So now the Google Street View cars are 
scanning the UK into google in 360 degree 3D explorable form. It's only 
what you could see if you went there. The difference is that you 
probably did not go there but Google makes this available to anyone and 
everyone. That is scary and fantastic.

I believe that if google has this info then I want it too. I don't want 
someone having more power than I have by taking something that we are 
all entitled to. However by allowing everyone to access Street View then 
this tool could be used by those with bad intent. The government will 
cirtainly want some control over this and most people will demand that 
the government do something about Google. What I think would be worse, 
but it's a close one, is that the Government and people have access to 
Street View but we don't.

Photography is a powerful tool in any case, the government want control 
of private photography. I remember the days when every photo you took 
would be looked at by the people in Boots. You dare not take a photo of 
something a bit rude, you know they would duplicate them. Cameras have 
become far more powerful now that you can take hundreds of photos and 
don't have to show anyone. I can see a camera combined with GPS and 
Nintedo Wii controller that will allow 3D photography from a hand held. 
The Wii controller has a gyroscopic sensor that can track movement. You 
know that stitchup application to make really wide landscapes that is 
bundled with your camera? That process will happen in your camera in 
real time. Those will be mighty powerful photos, GPS tagged, time 
stamped, ID tagged, 3D.

Should people upload these to google?

Regards,
Wayland.