[mythtv-users] OT: Google - big brother? or I going mad?
Damian
myth at surr.co.uk
Tue Sep 14 11:30:06 UTC 2010
Hello all,
Excuse the off topic post, but this has long been one of the best most
informed places to ask linux/open source type questions and I'd be
interested to read your thoughts on this issue that really bothers me.
I'm really not comfortable with the 'big brother' presence of google. I
think that they produce incredibly good products, but they are all
designed to scrape every last piece of personal information out of the
user. They are getting a bigger and bigger presence in the Linux/Open
source world, and no one seems to mind which makes me question if I'm
just being paranoid and everything is fine.
If you read a Linux magazine, it's often get many articles about privacy
and security and keeping your system safe. Yet these same magazines
discuss gmail, Android, google calendar and picassa without any mention
of privacy and security. The files that are being put through googles
servers and scanned for content to advertise back at us is the very
content that we're trying to keep private on our machines.
Is it just me that finds this uncomfortable?
I'm not trying to be a smart arse. I'm genuinely wondering if it's all
fine and I should just start using all of these google products. They
certainly make life easier. They work so well that it's hard not to use
them! Personally, I think they make their products the best of the best
so that everyone willingly gives them all of the personal data that they
want, but I've not heard many say similar. I have friends who are more
geeky than me and discuss privacy and politics stronger than me, but
they are all using their android phones and connecting it to their
gmail, google calendar etc etc accounts and just can't see where I'm
coming from.
Basically, I'm not trying to preach the google is bad. They just make me
feel very uncomfortable but I'm doubting myself. What are your thoughts?
Thanks
D
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