Google is a great search engine, and they are doing a lot of things right. As some people say “Google just gets it”, and I agree. Rafael Ebron wrote a piece today analyzing some of Google’s vulnerabilities, even if Google reps won’t admit they have any. [Continue Reading >>]

Nate Anderson of ARS Technica attempts to answer this question. Apparently there isn’t any hard evidence, but the claims are provocative. Read the stories.

Former Intelligence Agent Says Google In Bed With CIA

A former clandestine services officer for the CIA who also maintains close relationships with top Google representatives says that the company is “in bed with” the intelligence agency and the U.S. government. He has also gone public on his deep suspicions about the official explanation behind 9/11.

Google actively aiding intelligence agencies?

Former intelligence officer Robert David Steele recently appeared on the Alex Jones show to make the provocative claim that Google is currently cooperating with secret elements in the US government, including the CIA.
Steele, who now runs OSS.net and is a proponent of open source intelligence, said that “Google has made a very important strategic mistake in dealing with the secret elements of the U.S. government—that is a huge mistake and I’m hoping they’ll work their way out of it and basically cut that relationship off.” In his view, Google’s attempt earlier this year to avoid turning over information to the Department of Justice was little more than a hypocritical charade.

Google Admits Terror Storm Blackout But claims “error” and not censorship for second successive time as 9/11 film enters top 100.

Following our attempts to get an answer as to why Google was seemingly artificially stifling the viewership numbers for Terror Storm, ensuring the film didn’t enter Google Video’s popular categories, the online giant has admitted the figures were pegged but claims again that the change was due to a technical glitch.

Interesting stories.

Someone’s got some imagination.

Let’s take a look at Google’s Privacy policy:

• Google collects personal information when you register for a Google service or otherwise voluntarily provide such information. We may combine personal information collected from you with information from other Google services or third parties to provide a better user experience, including customizing content for you.
• Google uses cookies and other technologies to enhance your online experience and to learn about how you use Google services in order to improve the quality of our services.
• Google’s servers automatically record information when you visit our website or use some of our products, including the URL, IP address, browser type and language, and the date and time of your request.

Now what does Google do with this information?

• We may use personal information to provide the services you’ve requested, including services that display customized content and advertising.
• We may also use personal information for auditing, research and analysis to operate and improve Google technologies and services.
• We may also share information with third parties in limited circumstances, including when complying with legal process, preventing fraud or imminent harm, and ensuring the security of our network and services.
• Google processes personal information on our servers in the United States of America and in other countries. In some cases, we process personal information on a server outside your own country.

Now let’s move over to another topic. Google Analytics. Over the last ten months or so since Google aquired Urchin and renamed it Google analytics, *a lot* of websites have started using this free, organized, intuitive web statistics program. Google Analytics sets a couple of cookies for tracking and to keep it short, Google is pulling a lot of data about how all of us move about on the internet. Let me explain.

Let’s talk about Joe Blow. He visits wakes up in the morning and starts surfing. He visits 30 sites before he needs to shower and get off to work. I have not stats on how many sites us Google analytics, but if half those sites, do, then Google is collecting and storing a pretty good picture of Joe’s overall surfing habits.

This is fine, right? Google is the good guy, and they’re only going to use the information to serve up the most relevant ads to Joe. Joe’s fine with this, because although Google makes a killing, the ads are less intrusive because they’re things that Joe is interested in.

Now remember, Joe never saw or agreed to Google privacy policy, but Google has the info.

There’s also another factor. The US government could subpoena information that Google has. So even though Google has the best of intentions, they may not have the last word.

It might be a good idea for sites to start looking for alternative statistics programs.

A hypothetical conversation between a user and “Google Brain”. In the end the user pays up.

The Motely Fool speculates on a possible link between Google and The Knot Inc, suggesting that Google might or should acquire The Knot. The author mentions that one of The Knot’s new board members is a Regional Sales and Marketing director for Google.

BTW, What do you think of my original artwork for this post? I took that picture myself and enhanced the colors a bit with Picasa.

This is some whacko site about Google. The main premise is they are going to take the money they earn from Adsense and buy Google stock, thus buying Google. But how many years will it take them?

Google will eat itself.

Google Desktop 3 has serious security flaws reports PCPro.

Research firm Gartner is the latest company to warn organisations of the security risk presented by Google’s Desktop 3. In a report, Gartner concludes that the danger of company confidential data being intercepted outside the corporation’s firewall represented an ‘unacceptable risk’.

Read more here.

Google is standing firm and won’t reveal data from searches and web crawls to the US government even though the government has stated that Microsoft and Yahoo already gave in an turned over the documents that they wanted.

Google called the Bush administration’s request for data on Web searches as “so uninformed as to be nonsensical” in papers filed in San Jose federal court Friday, arguing that turning over the information would expose its trade secrets and violate the privacy of its users.

Read more at the Mecury News.

On January 24th and 25th a lot of controversy broke out concerning Google’s descision to censor their search results for the Chinese market. I’ve read *tons* of stuff about this now, and here I’ll just give you some links to some of the best resources to make your own decision on this issue. I feel kind of embarrased with Google’s decision, I just hope that they secretly have a plan up their sleeve to turn the tables on the Chinese government and give the Chinese people the real story about their government.

Background on internet censorship in China

Here are some of the words/concepts that are currently blocked by Chinese gov’t:

• democracy
• human rights
• dictatorship
• anti-communist
• communist bandits
• selling out one’s country
• massacre
• genocide
• oppression

But interestingly enough, some other words that you’d think *would* be blocked, aren’t:

• freedom
• reform
• elections
• fascism
• counterrevolutionary
• treason
• traitor
• overthrow
• coup

This blocking apparently only applies to mainland China- Hong Kong is not subject to mainland China’s laws. In addition to these blocked keywords, China also blocks certain websites such as BBC, Wikepedia, and some well-known proxy servers (used to circumvent blocking). Apparently keyword/website blocking is rather haphazard and if you try hard enough, you can get the information you want even if you’re in mainland China.

• List of words censored by the communist Chinese government (Wikipedia)
• Internet censorship in mainland China
• Wikipedia on internet censorship in China

Now, the issue with Google’s www.google.cn search portal

• Google announces their new Chinese search site www.google.cn, complete with censorship
• Compare Google results- censored and uncensored

Some of the controversy/opinions surrounding this issue

• Much controversy has arisen
• Google founder Sergey Brin defends the decision to block certain search results on their Chinese site
• Bloggers are upset with Google’s new Chinese site
• Thomas Hazlett talks about this paradox that Google has gotten itself into

What should Google do at this point?

• What one person thinks should be done- An open letter to Google Jan 25, 2006

EDIT: Here’s Google’s official write-up about the decision to go ahead with the Chinese site. Google in China.

According to the Times online (UK version), Google may be laying the groundwork to create it’s own proprietary “internet”. In January Google began recruiting personell to negotiate purchases of “dark fibre”- or unused fiber optic communications cable that has been physically installed, but for unknown reasons, hasn’t been connected to the internet and put to use.

This article also talks about Google’s recent purchase of a large ( 270,000sq ft) warehouse in the New York area, and a plan to make “mobile” or “drop-in” data centers using shipping crates; all of this leading them to believe that Google plans to create their own private internet. You can read the entire article here.

UPDATE: There is a lot more to be said on this issue. Read up what John Dvorak has to say on this issue. It’s not quite a conspiracy theory, but it’s interesting.

Google Watch. The most recent buzz over Google has centered around various rumors that the company will make dumb terminals, its own operating system, or a wireless mesh network, light up dark fiber all over the country, and (get this) finance the “space elevator.” You have to wonder how much of this is simply Google jerking the chain of the computer industry simply because it can.

I’m convinced that many of these rumors are a smokescreen for the one important idea on the laundry list: lighting up the dark fiber that permeates the United States. Hear me out on this one.

keep reading.