[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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