[WEB4LIB] [Fwd: Google, libraries, and privacy]

[Thomas Dowling]

Karen Coyle wrote:
> I received this...

>>...Nowhere in the press have any librarians or academics expressed
>>concerns about privacy issues...

Perhaps we're just tired of trying to anticipate the downsides (and 
upsides) of Google's various new services.  They're taking a scattershot 
approach to establishing a business beyond internet searching; with 
GMail, Google Desktop, Google Scholar, Google Print, and this library 
project all in pre-release versions, who can tell what to really focus on?

>>Google has the capacity, the
>>history, and the intention of tracking the browsing habits of
>>anyone and everyone who visits any of their sites.

True, but they also have a track record of shrugging off complaints 
about their potential for user monitoring ("You can trust us because our 
motto is Don't Be Evil").  Our efforts are better spent in educating our 
users about online privacy concerns and giving them tools to take back 
control of their privacy, including cookies.

 >>...Google has used a cookie with a unique ID in it that
 >> expires in 2038...

Not on my machine they don't.


-- 
Thomas Dowling
tdowling at ohiolink.edu