[HLUG] Search Engines

[AT Ege]

Hi Broomster,

> I think that all this worry about Google and other entities spying on
> us and knowing our inside leg measurement, all depends on how paranoid
> you are..
> 
Or how confiding you are...


> I can sometimes see why people who are paranoid refuse to even plug
> their pc into the phone line.. The reality is, unless you're doing
> something wrong, or are very careless online, nobody will actually
> care what you do..
> 
MY reality is, I have secrets. I got secrets from my wife, I got secrets 
from my friends, I got secrets from my parents, from my boss, from my 
colleagues, from the state...
Most of them actually are not illegel - they tend more to be the kind of 
thing I don't want some people, or most people to know. If I remember 
right, it's generally called 'privacy'. And I value my privacy, and with 
whom I want to share my ideas and thoughts. That's why, sometimes, I 
prefer to write letters, instead of postcards. Unfortunately, none of my 
friends will do encrypted mail, they all prefer postcards.
The illegal stuff is more like the odd speeding or parking where I'm not 
supposed to.

But I guess, you're one of those 60s guys, that took out their bathroom 
doors, because there are no secrets in the community. I, personally, 
prefer to close the door, and keep the smell from the rest of the place.

The other thing is, I once read an article, headed "What if Google goes 
bad?".  And it's not even that Google itself has to 'go bad'. It could 
be enought for on, or a few employees to do so. Keyword matching can be 
used against you, and I'd be pretty sure that states like China and Iran 
do just that. Probably Russia and the US as well. Even innocent, you can 
get caught in a web. It happens, even in 'good' states like GB or 
Germany. It gets worse in less enlightened places. And there's no 
guarantee it won't change around here.

> If you don't want these concerns, go to your local library..  Oh, hang
> on, they have your name and address in their membership database..
> 
Yeah, life sucks. If you interact, you have to give something away. It's 
just the question how much you're willing to do. With using google, I 
still have a certain degree of control, like disabling cookies or 
choosing not to use google mail. But I hardly have any control of what 
they'll do with the data they collect. And with things like Streetview, 
I've got no control at all anymore. Which is fine, as long as everybody 
plays nice.
But if one day, an radical anti-linux dictatorship should come to power, 
we might all be in for a surprise.

> Broomster,
> Kington,Herefordshire.

-- 
Andreas Ege

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