Microsoft. Privacy. The Trouble(s) With Google Chrome’s Security | Technologizer. It’s been more than a month since Google Chrome first hit our desktops. The blogosphere is still pondering its features and performance, and making predictions about Google’s future in the browser business. But amidst all of the commentary about Google’s latest venture, very few have taken the time to examine the new browser’s security. Browser-based attacks in the form of phishing expeditions, cross-site scripting, plug-in exploits, and other techniques should give even the most tech savvy among us pause when considering which browser to make the workhorse of our daily online activities.
A significant number of users have chosen Chrome–but the security measures Google has implemented in Chrome are subpar for a modern browser. There are many simple steps that Chrome could take to further protect its users. Password Management Every single browser offers you the capability to save form information for quick logins to websites, including passwords. Selective JavaScript Controls. Foreign Policy: The List: If Google Were President. EBay Would Be Nuts to Sell Skype | Epicenter. If we’re to believe the rumors, Google is considering a Skype acquisition.
Or partnership. Or something big! And while we don’t doubt Skype would make a hot little trophy for Google, we’re not sure what eBay would get out of a deal right now. TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington says he’s heard "low-level rumors" that the companies are talking. "I would suggest that Google is intensely interested in Skype, not only for the opportunity to revolutionize mobile telephony and the trillion dollar telecom industry, but as a foundational layer for scalable web services," Steve Jurvetson, managing director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson told us by email.
But what’s in it for eBay? "While we were disappointed in the writedown we announced in October, it’s important to remember that Skype is an extremely successful four-year-old . . . "I don’t expect them to sell it," says Susquenhanna Financial Group analyst Marianne Wolk. Photo: Flickr/Malthe. » The Content in Google Apps Belongs to Google | Enterprise Anti. An alert reader, SentryWatch, commented per my last blog that the Terms of Service posted on the Google Docs and Spreadsheets site assigns content rights of anything saved on Doc and Spreadsheets to Google.
It’s almost too incredible to believe, so here’s the wording from the mighty Google maw itself: “… you grant Google a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, adapt, modify, publish and distribute such Content on Google services for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting Google services…” Now, I’m not a lawyer, though I have been accused of that and more, so I encourage all you lawyerly types to check it out for yourself.
I’ve said it before – Google is the new evil empire – but now I really am beginning to believe it. I know that user agreements are typically ignored by most users, but anyone in the corporate world who ignores this risks seeing their IP in a Google marketing campaign, or worse. All I can say is this: Are they out of their minds? Web Services & Browser - The Google Proble. May 31, 2007 9:55 PM Yes. There's an irony about Google that is frightening. For a company whose business is all about finding information, Google is reluctant to disclose much of any. Google doesn't easily reveal its inner workings and processes, nor its technologies. Sure, Google courts developers and makes available bunches of APIs (application programming interfaces), But much less information goes out than comes in. Meanwhile, Google gets access to more and more information.
Google's pending acquisition of DoubleClick would greatly increase the amount of personal information collected, which could be given back to potential advertisers tied to end users' search queries and other online activities. What's troubling—even as Google's search market share increases—is the uncharacteristic slack given the company. From the perspective of transparency—the extent of real information disclosure—Google is quite opaque. What's that saying about who controls the information? What is evil? Technology | Online and offline worlds merge. Google has launched a tool designed to make it easier for computer users to use online applications offline. One of the key limitations of web services such as e-mail, word processing and calendars, is that they require a net connection to function.
Gears allows access to online data and applications inside the web browser when offline. The tool was launched at Google's global developer day, with 5,000 coders attending seminars worldwide. Google Gears is an open source plug-in for browsers, which the firm hopes will lead to the creation of new web standards. The firm wants many of the people attending its developers conference to use the Gears tools, which are free to use, to adapt their own applications for offline usage.
Using Gears, online data that is usually held on web servers can be stored offline on an individual's computer, and then synchronised when the user logs back on to the web. 'Fills gap' "This fills a gap for us," said Jeff Huber, a vice president of engineering at Google. » Free Google GMail; The high price you pay | Digital Markets |
Do you believe the contents of every personal and business email you ever write or send should be recorded and permanently archived on third party servers located in countries throughout the world, to which you have no access? If you are one of the millions of GMail users, you have indicated to Google that you most certainly do. Below are excerpts of Google’s umbrella Privacy Policy and excerpts from its GMail specific and GoogleTalk specific Privacy Policies. GMail Privacy Policy Residual copies of deleted messages and accounts…may remain in our offline backup systems. GoogleTalk Privacy Notice When you use Google Talk, we may record information about your usage, such as when you use Google Talk, the size of your contact list and the contacts you communicate with..
Google Privacy Policy Google processes personal information on our servers in the United States of America and in other countries. How much is a perpetual data record of your personal and business communications worth to Google?