Google Watch

Authors

Google Watch

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Google Watch
GWlogogif.png
GWscreenshot.jpg
Screenshot of Google Watch.
URL Google-Watch.org
Commercial? No
Type of site Activist
Created by Daniel Brandt
Launched 2002

Google Watch is a website launched in 2002.[1]The website's goals are to report on invasion of privacy issues.[2][3]

Contents

Critiques of Google

For more details on this topic, see Criticism of Google.

Among Google Watch's criticisms of Google are that it collects personal data on its users and does too little to protect that data.[4][5]

Google Watch documents concerns about privacy risks arising from Google's use of long-lived HTTP cookies.[5]

Actions taken

To illustrate the view that Google's search engine could be subjected to manipulation, Google Watch implemented a Google bomb by linking the phrase "out-of-touch executives" to Google's own page on its corporate management. The attempt was mistakenly attributed to disgruntled Google employees by The New York Times, which later printed a correction.[6][7]

Google Watch continues to raise Google-related privacy issues, particularly its use of cookies which have a life span of more than 32 years and incorporate a unique ID that enables creation of a user data log.[8] It has also made allegations about connections between Google and the NSA and the CIA.[5]

Response

A May 2003 PC World article described Google Watch as "perhaps justifiably paranoid",[4] however Google's defenders assert that Google Watch offers very little evidence to back up its allegations.[5]

Related topics

References

  1. ^ Varghese, Sam (2005-01-12). "Google critic releases source code for proxy". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/Breaking/Google-critic-releases-source-code-for-proxy/2005/01/12/1105423537735.html. Retrieved 2008-10-11. 
  2. ^ Crerar, Simon (2003-04-05). "Forget me nots". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2003/04/04/1048962927651.html. Retrieved 2008-10-13. 
  3. ^ Manjoo, Farhad (August 30, 2002). "Conspiracy Researcher Says Google's No Good". Salon.com. Alternet. http://www.alternet.org/rights/14001/. Retrieved 2008-10-13. 
  4. ^ a b Spanbauer, Scott (May 28, 2003). "Internet Tips: How to Make Cash on EBay--Your Auction ABCs". PC World. http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,110664/printable.html. 
  5. ^ a b c d Dave Gussow (April 14, 2003). "Despite popularly, Google under fire for privacy issues". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.sptimes.com/2003/04/14/Technology/Despite_popularly__Go.shtml. Retrieved 2008-10-11. 
  6. ^ Hansell, Saul; John Markoff (2004-06-22). "Google Edits Its Prospectus to Highlight Risk of Loss". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/22/business/22google.html. 
  7. ^ "Corrections". The New York Times. 2004-06-25. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01EED81F39F936A15755C0A9629C8B63. 
  8. ^ Agger, Michael (2007-10-10). "Google's Evil Eye: Does the Big G know too much about us?". Slate. http://www.slate.com/id/2175651/. Retrieved 2007-10-23.