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INVASION REVISITED... AND WITH GOOD REASON
by Theresa Cahill
Follow-Up Written November 2004
Copyright 2004 - All Rights Reserved
If you read my previous article located now at
http://www.mywizardads.com/articles/article75.txt
and soon at .../article75.html, you will already
be familiar with my warning regarding Google's
latest desktop helper.
And today I received further proof that issuing
that warning was the correct thing to do.
My reason behind the first article was based on
my reading of an initial article written by
Mike Banks founder of WebSite101 and frequent
author in the SitePro News (an outstanding
newsletter).
At that writing Mr. Banks waxed enthusiasm for
this latest way to help him keep track of the
numerous stuff and junk and real information
on his own computer. He was willing to let
Google handle it for him... Hmmm... yikes!
Today I received yet another issue from SitePro
with a follow-up article by Mr. Banks. The
opening paragraph of his latest article states:
"I suppose I was naive when I cheered the new
Google Desktop Search tool thinking it was
ONLY a great way to help ease my computer
info-glut and help organize my hundreds of
hard-drive stored documents, emails and files.
It seems that now I have to worry about how
bad guys and busy-bodies will use it to spy
on me!"
To keep this article short and to the point, I
won't reiterate everything that Mike Banks can
tell you. Suffice to say, just as the Google
toolbar is suspect according to all my sp'y
sweeping tools, this latest "helper" definitely
falls into the "not on my computer!" category.
There's a lot you must know about this Google
Search/Helper Tool, and I'll take the time
and space to quote just one more paragraph of
Mr. Banks' article:
"The Google Desktop Search Tool Poses a
Security Risk to users of public or networked
computers according to an Information Week
article. If you use public computers at work
or at libraries, internet cafes, Kinko's or
the local Mailboxes Etc. store, now you've
got to worry that previous users of that public
machine, or worse, the business owner or
employees, have installed Google Desktop Search
on that machine to purposely spy on users."
To read his entire article, please head on over
to: http://privacynotes.com/privacy_blog/
Frankly ever since Google threw a wrench into
the search capabilities of everyone on the planet
using their search engine since November 2003,
Google has not ranked very high in my book. In
fact, Yahoo has again become the first engine
I turn to to begin any hunt. It may not be the
last one I try, but it is my starting point.
"Popular" does not always mean "the best."
Business online is tricky enough without blindly
assisting those whose business approach appears
to be the collection of data and surfing habits
and information under the guise of "helping the
internet user" without our knowledge or permission.
Most of us are not stupid, we would not willingly
give out precious information about ourselves,
our habits, or our financial conditions - unless
WE opt to give it out ourselves.
It's unfortunate, but one must picture the
internet in the same light as passing the guy
in the alley way hissing, "Psssst!" in your
direction. Just because you don't physically
run into this type doesn't mean that sitting
at a computer makes you any less vulnerable.
In fact, the reverse is true. Be extremely,
if even to the point of slight paranoia, careful!
Do not be the first on any bandwagon downloading
tools that will have a major impact on your
privacy and your hard drive.
I stand by my first statement in my first
article:
SEARCH is available under your START menu, and
your bookmarks and/or favorites folder plus
your history in the IE browser itself should be
more than sufficient (it's what we've all been
doing for a long, long time just fine).
My advice? Though I repeat myself... Let others
be the guinea pigs of the world for you...
if they must...
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads
http://www.mywizardads.com, a true one-stop spot for your online advertising needs.
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