Now Google itself is offering some solace. Last week, the company gave self-Googlers more power to control their online image. Now, in addition to everything else that Google turns up on a vanity search, it will also display a link to your Google Profile—a page that Google is encouraging everyone to create. Type in "farhad manjoo," and at the bottom of the first page you'll see a link to my profile, which leaves out the nasty bits—I tell the world about my job, my schooling, my link-blog, and my book but not that some people on the Web have accused me of villainy.
I might be getting a little skittish about the government and computers taking over any thing. If you read or know me very well there's no doubt that I am getting a little anxious over everything that going down. I had a band director that just retired a year ago that would not touch a computer saying they were from the devil. Most of that came from not wanting to enter any grades and attendance for his job. I tried to explain to him that there is as much new technology in the phone that he is wearing on his belt that is in that computer he wouldn't touch...
So I have been getting the yucky feeling about google for a while now. They know too much already and now they are inviting you in deeper into the google realm. Is there any place where google does not have their hand in? I'll admit I did delete my open office apps and use only google docs now. We shall see. and yes, I went ahead and filled out my profile in google. I don't know if I am already sucked in and can't escape, but I'll still be cautious. I can still hit delete blog any time. (I hope)
3 comments:
I was unaware of Google profiles. I'll have to check it out, although I don't want one (at least right now). I'm curious whether they're trying to make their own social network a la Facebook, or whether it's "just" profiles.
yeah, I 'm pretty sure they are taking over the world. That didn't come across in my post but I am sure that is happening.
Besides "Google" now being a recognized noun and verb, its also a symbol of our loss of privacy. A few years ago, I was talking with a co-worker who was aware of computers and the internet, but not fully aware of its privacy invasion potential. To help her understand, I "googled" her that night and in two hours I had the names of her family, her supposedly unlisted phone number, where her husband worked and his three email accounts, the locations and cost of the last and current home, their son's chat account and that he'd been talking with folks in Poland.
I'm sure access to the info has tightened in the last few years, but I also suspect that tightening is a smoke screen to cover invasions of privacy.
Heather was surprised by a book I sent her recently. Well, not the book, but that I got her address from the internet.
Want me to tell you what you paid for taxes on the farm last year? *grin*
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