Facts about Google!

[Hexus]

Surprising how many people use Google as their homepage for quickloading.

Check this out....
1. Google's immortal cookie:
Google was the first search engine to use a cookie that expires in 2038. This was at a time when federal websites were prohibited from using persistent cookies altogether. Now it's years later, and immortal cookies are commonplace among search engines; Google set the standard because no one bothered to challenge them. This cookie places a unique ID number on your hard disk. Anytime you land on a Google page, you get a Google cookie if you don't already have one. If you have one, they read and record your unique ID number.

2. Google records everything they can:
For all searches they record the cookie ID, your Internet IP address, the time and date, your search terms, and your browser configuration. Increasingly, Google is customizing results based on your IP number. This is referred to in the industry as "IP delivery based on geolocation."

3. Google retains all data indefinitely:
Google has no data retention policies. There is evidence that they are able to easily access all the user information they collect and save.

4. Google won't say why they need this data:
Inquiries to Google about their privacy policies are ignored. When the New York Times (2002-11-2 asked Sergey Brin about whether Google ever gets subpoenaed for this information, he had no comment.

5. Google hires spooks:
Matt Cutts, a key Google engineer, used to work for the National Security Agency. Google wants to hire more people with security clearances, so that they can peddle their corporate assets to the spooks in Washington.

6. Google's toolbar is spyware:
With the advanced features enabled, Google's free toolbar for Explorer phones home with every page you surf. Yes, it reads your cookie too, and sends along the last search terms you used in the toolbar. Their privacy policy confesses this, but that's only because Alexa lost a class-action lawsuit when their toolbar did the same thing, and their privacy policy failed to explain this. Worse yet, Google's toolbar updates to new versions quietly, and without asking. This means that if you have the toolbar installed, Google essentially has complete access to your hard disk every time you phone home. Most software vendors, and even Microsoft, ask if you'd like an updated version. But not Google.

7. Google's cache copy is illegal:
Judging from Ninth Circuit precedent on the application of U.S. copyright laws to the Internet, Google's cache copy appears to be illegal. The only way a webmaster can avoid having his site cached on Google is to put a "noarchive" meta in the header of every page on his site. Surfers like the cache, but webmasters don't. Many webmasters have deleted questionable material from their sites, only to discover later that the problem pages live merrily on in Google's cache. The cache copy should be "opt-in" for webmasters, not "opt-out."

8. Google is not your friend:
Young, stupid script kiddies and many bloggers still think Google is "way kool," so by now Google enjoys a 75 percent monopoly for all external referrals to most websites. No webmaster can avoid seeking Google's approval these days, assuming he wants to increase traffic to his site. If he tries to take advantage of some of the known weaknesses in Google's semi-secret algorithms, he may find himself penalized by Google, and his traffic disappears. There are no detailed, published standards issued by Google, and there is no appeal process for penalized sites. Google is completely unaccountable. Most of the time they don't even answer email from webmasters.

9. Google is a privacy time bomb:
With 150 million searches per day, most from outside the U.S., Google amounts to a privacy disaster waiting to happen. Those newly-commissioned data-mining bureaucrats in Washington can only dream about the sort of slick efficiency that Google has already achieved.

[mariner]

wow ! now thats enlightening ! where di u all this info bro ?

[godzi_85]

woah... google is pooogled!!

[krazydude]

Damm some facts abt google man

really makes u thing if big brother or big google is watching us ALL

[girish_b]

oops..... if all these thins are true, then we reallyhave to leave Google . what a mess.......

[FasTrack]

Now why dont everone out there understand, this could well be true, switch 2 www.dogpile.com, amazingly quick relevant, and extrmely well organised.

Up 2 u now.

[girish_b]

Originally Posted by FasTrack

Now why dont everone out there understand, this could well be true, switch 2 www.dogpile.com, amazingly quick relevant, and extrmely well organised.

Up 2 u now.

hi buddy.. that link is not workin... i think u made a mistake by typing A comma(,) after the site name...

try this http://www.dogpile.com

[NikhilVerma]

But i have never faced any problems yet??

[svenkat83]

@krazydude :
Google as Big Brother >> http://www.google-watch.org/bigbro.html

[prankzter]

have u got anything against google??
anyway...nice info dude!

[Hexus]

wow ! now thats enlightening ! where di u all this info bro ?

Source > http://www.google-watch.org/bigbro.html

have u got anything against google??

Not really, but its not too good when they track MUCH more about you while you search..Not good at all!

[demoninside]

it might be a good note but why r they storing all that irrelevent meterial can any one suggest

[Hexus]

it might be a good note but why r they storing all that irrelevent meterial can any one suggest

Thats what the fuss is about!

But, arent we raising a ruckus over something unimportant as I personally believe that google is a reputed firm, it just should'nt record in detial info about the visitor, that it!

[sUlPhUr|nE`]

how many ppl here think that it is really safe to connect to internet????

[svenkat83]

I think Internet is safe,<whatever your name be>?
Why else would I connect to Internet without an Antivirus software,Internet security software or a Firewall?
It all depends upon the user..how he uses the Internet.

[sUlPhUr|nE`]

I think u're rite. But, I 2 have a firewall, an antivirus program with the latest virus definitions & what not. I think it is safe for me to connect

[walking-techie]

Whoa!! Just got GOOGLED over my that newz

[Hexus]

Originally Posted by svenkat83

I think Internet is safe,<whatever your name be>?
Why else would I connect to Internet without an Antivirus software,Internet security software or a Firewall?
It all depends upon the user..how he uses the Internet.

Could'nt agree more!

[plasmafire]

ya safe...as iraq??

[Ricky]

. Google is completely unaccountable. Most of the time they don't even answer email from webmasters.

They do !! I have recieved reply from them related to incorrect listing of a website in google !!

Lastly < I know all the above stuff already but not in detail so wht is my habit is to delete cookies daily .. hoho..

[IG]

is it possible for a site to leave cookies on a computer in any place other than the temp files directory in windows. cos i use ad aware, avg and zonealarm with the max settings possible and dont use ie at all. i dont seem to get anything when i run my adaware, but i have a feeling that there is a problem still....

[naveenchandran]

thanks for the info but is it true????????

[nirajan]

I HAVEN'T USE ANTIVIRUS AND FIREWAAL FOR MORE THAN 2 YRS AND I DONT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS TILL NOW.

[IG]

nirajan....scan ur system and see
unless of course u use it verriee verrie carefully....u will find stuff in it...or do u not use it for the net ?????