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Google Desktop Search Functions As Spyware
dioscaido writes "Users of the Google Desktop Search software beware -- it indexes your files across all users on your PC, bypassing user protections. The Google cache feature allows all users to browse the contents of messages and files it has indexed, irrespective of who is logged in. 'This is not a bug, rather a feature,' says Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer Web products. 'Google Desktop Search is not intended to be used on computers that are shared with more than one person.'" Reminds me of a Neal Stephenson essay: "The Hole Hawg is dangerous because it does exactly what you tell it to. It is not bound by the physical limitations that are inherent in a cheap drill, and neither is it limited by safety interlocks that might be built into a homeowner's product by a liability-conscious manufacturer. The danger lies not in the machine itself but in the user's failure to envision the full consequences of the instructions he gives to it."
... To believe otherwise is naive. I think the article's fear is right on. The idea that every file on my computer is indexed along with web pages, email, etc, means that there is one less barrier between my personal content and hackers, not to mention intellectual property theft. How can you honestly not see how dangerous this is? This may be fine for people who have machines filled with data they don't care about, but what about authors, musicians, programmers? Though I like and use Google's internet search engine, I don't see the necessity moving that to my personal desktop. That's what the file system is for. This type of 'marginal-improvement' feature is the kind of thing that caused the growth and burst of the dot-com bubble, and will continue to plague IT unless we approach such things with more skepticism. When it all comes down to it, if you don't know how to find files, email, and documents on your own machine with the current tools available, you need some serious help with organization. If your excuse is that 'your file-system is too big' then you probably have so much data that anyone who finds a way in will know their hard-earned work was worthwhile.
This is by far the best Troll I have ever seen.
Infact, it is the meta-troll; the troll from which all other trolls spring from.
This particular troll managed to get the troll posted as an article. And all replies are baited.
My hats off to you, good sir!
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
5) zealous users who do not realize how dependent they are now and in the future