Hazards of the New Google Tool

This should cause a raised eyebrow:

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New Google tool for searching computers a privacy risk on shared PCs

By Anick Jesdanun, The Associated Press Oct 18 2004 1:43PM

People who use public or workplace computers for e-mail, instant messaging and Web searching have a new security risk to worry about: Google's free new tool that indexes a PC's contents for quickly locating data.

If it's installed on computers at libraries and Internet cafes, users could unwittingly allow people who follow them on the PCs, for example, to see sensitive information in e-mails they've exchanged. That could mean revealed passwords, conversations with doctors, or viewed Web pages detailing online purchases.

"It's clearly a very powerful tool for locating information on the computer," said Richard M. Smith, a privacy and security consultant in Cambridge, Mass. "On the flip side of things, it's a perfect spy program."

The rest of the article is Here

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enjoy

Isn’t this something you can already do, albeit slower?

The article in reference says:

"A multicolored swirl in the system tray at the lower right corner of the computer desktop means the software is running. A user can right-click on that to exit the program -- thereby preventing it from recording Web surfing, e-mail and chat sessions."

Well, if it is going to be that easy to stop this program, then it may actually be a useful utility for all of us, some awareness about its use can protect the users using public computers....

Also the article states:

"Type in "hotmail.com" and you'll get copies, or stored caches, of messages that previous users have seen. Enter an e-mail address and you can read all the messages sent to and from that address. Type "password" and get password reminders that were sent back via e-mail. "

hmmmnnnn........ seems powerful :)

Well I guess that’s true. But now unfortunately with very little effort, any deviant could acquire much more of someone's personal information just by using the shared computers at his local library (If the tool is installed).

Such as:

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Type in "hotmail.com" and you'll get copies, or stored caches, of messages that previous users have seen. Enter an e-mail address and you can read all the messages sent to and from that address. Type "password" and get password reminders that were sent back via e-mail.

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edit: Nice quote rktak :)

The Register also carried an article slamming Google desktop.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10...sktop_privacy/

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"If you lined people and said, 'Stick your hand up if you want Google to know what pictures you have, and what MP3 files you have,' I don't think many would."

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Now i no that i would not want Google to no what i have on my pc ;) Nor anyone els for that matter..............Not that i keep anything to sensitive on my pc. However some of what is stored is personal and i like to keep it that way.

After all you would not create an account called "access for all an sundry ". would you?

I haven't installed the desktop yet, as lately I have been cynical of Google. I use the search engine extensively, but I can't trust Google simply because of the amount of power they can wield over it's users, (which is true with many sites).

A friend tells me that Google Desktop info hasn't popped up at all through sniffing, which tells me that it doesn't phone home. The Firefox Google field doesn't phone home for anything other than the search itselft. The Windows google toolbar, however, has a "page rank" function that phones home every site you visit, not just the ones visited through the toolbar's functions. Google is very good about letting you know about the privacy risks of their products, as far as I can see from their toolbar. But don't forget that your google searches are easily linked to your Gmail account through a simple cookie, if Google chooses to do so. They can profile any Gmail user if they like.

Just keep it in mind. :D

As for the desktop being a security risk? Don't use public terminals... It's like changing clothes on a NYC streetcorner, everyone can see your private stuff. :p

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The giant index remains on the computer and isn't shared with Google. The company can't access it remotely even if it gets a subpoena ordering it to do so, Mayer said.

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The Article did say that it couldn't phone home, but I'm skeptical about that promise. The doggon thang is getting to powerful.

cheers

edit: Now that's funny!

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It's like changing clothes on a NYC streetcorner, everyone can see your private stuff.

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If it's installed on computers at libraries and Internet cafes, users could unwittingly allow people who follow them on the PCs

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I can never fully understand why people would check on their mail and things at libraries and internet cafes. Come on though, buying products and taking care of appointments using public computers? Haha! That in itself really... really... really... goes beyond any point of stupidity. You have no privacy at all on publicly based computers, don't these guys get it?

i ain't installing that $hit! it's the stupidest thing i have ever heard of!

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I can never fully understand why people would check on their mail and things at libraries and internet cafes.

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Some people (STILL) dont have personal computers, or they use their work computers because they are at work most of the day. however, i would have to agree on the fact that it is a very powerful tool, but i would not use it if it can index as much as it can.

I know my computer structure that well i can see all my programs and files in my head. Thats just organisation. but it keeps the whole machine 'neat and tidy'.


CTO

Heh, GOOGLE already knows all the info I have on my computer. But with the thought of other people having easier access to what I have i may reconsider google desktop it's not that great from what I've seen anyway.

Hey Hey,

My opinion is that this is all a bunch of malarkey... There's been a really good Full Disclosure discussion on this topic.

Google is expanding, and that scares people... it brings out the conspiracy theory attitude that everyone has burried deap down inside...

So a shared computer has it installed and it'll reveal personal information... so will a keylogger, a program designed to take screen shots, or hell the Logging feature of any popular IM... If you are administrator installing this software on a public computer, it had better be available only to you, or you should prolly lose your job... I agree that using a public computer for private transactions is wrong... If you don't have a computer, then deny yourself that privledge, as soon as you enter that information on a shared pc you are putting yourself at risk... The owner of that PC has every right to log everything that goes on with the PC and many do just that.

The Google toolbar is great.... GMail provides a service with much greater functionality than any free email account and many of the ones I pay for... If they incorporated PGP like hushmail, it'd be damn near perfect... Picasa looks amazing for Photo Management.. I've yet to try it, but it looks as good as Photoshop Album 2.0... I've yet to try the Desktop Search but I've had it waiting to be installed for a while now.... I'm looking forward to their browser... and now the recent talks of a possible Google IM are really exciting me...

They're doing well and people don't like that so they start this conspiracy bullshit... They've got a good product... and they're very upfront with their customers... Quit looking for reasons to bash them and enjoy the fact that they're providing you with an amazing product... It's like anyone that works in an IT office.... You'll always end up working with an expensive commercialized version of software, rather than a free alternative with as much funtionality.... only because the paper pushers and those without an IT background think that more money means better software... That seems to be the opinion of some of the members of this site... If MS packaged this search and sold it for $99 everyone would pirate it... If Symantec/Norton marketed it as the greatest search product ever and sold it for $49.95, you'd all be rushing to suprnova.org to download the latest version. Someone does something good and provides you with a free product... and you want to question it..

People do it with AVG and TrendMicro System Cleaner/HouseCall... going with Norton or McAfee because you pay for them so they must be better... yet AVG will always hold it's own...
People would rather pay for ((or pirate) PestPatrol or AdAware Pro rather th an use AdAware Person or SpyBot S&D.
IT Departments pay for Ghost rather than using G4L or g4u.
IT Managers want MS Servers instead of Linux servers.

How long until you people stop using Linux because it's free and it's too good to be true? Stop looking for a conspiracy where there's none to be found!

Peace,
HT

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Someone does something good and provides you with a free product... and you want to question it..

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Google is corporate, there is no conspiracy to it. They would be stupid not to collect and sell demographic / marketing stats.

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Someone does something good and provides you with a free product... and you want to question it..

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I question every free closed source product, I bet you do too.

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

I especially like to question free AV / Ad-Spy software... It's sad how much info they send home. (pretty much always the ones advertised in popups) Google isn't an exception just because they have a kickass search engine.

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You'll always end up working with an expensive commercialized version of software, rather than a free alternative with as much funtionality

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I don't really see how this relates to anything... Wouldn't a radical conspiracy theorist move to an open source solution? Sounds more like a personal beef, and it's late so whatever...

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Stop looking for a conspiracy where there's none to be found!

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Is everything I mentioned not possible? Hardly a conspiracy... More like a typical buisness model.

Google has every right to do whatever they want with the information you provide them. I'm not arguing that it's unethical, or illegal, I'm simply saying it's important to know the facts, and ask the right questions.