Slashdot Mirror
Authors Guild Sues Google Over Print Program
heavy snowfall writes to tell us that The Authors Guild has filed a class action lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit claims that Google's scanning and digitizing of library books as a part of the Google Print Project constitutes "massive copyright infringement". In addition to the lawsuit The Authors Guild has also issued a press release to explain its actions.
What does the big search companies have the ability to stick into your profile these? What services (and profiling abilities) might be added on in the future?
I'm a bit of privacy advocate (the bill of rights is still valid here in my native country of America right?), so ever since search companies started rolling out free email services I started thinking about all the information that could be stuck in your profile for lord knows how long.
Take this list it with a tinfoil hat and a grain of salt...
- Everything you have searched for & certain websites you visit?
- What you are shopping for (if a shopping guide were launched)
- What you are looking for pictures of (if a picture search engine were launched)
- Where you are, where you are going & who your friends are (if a mapping service were launched)
- Who and what you are emailing (if a free email service were launched)
- Who your friends are, who their friends are, who etc..and what you're saying to them (if an instant messenger app were launched)
- Who you are calling and what you are saying (if a voip service were launched.)
- Everything you are purchasing, who you are sending money to, or receiving money from (if a payment service were launched)
- Everything you do on the internet (if a free wifi server were launched)
- What books you are reading or interesting in reading (if a free digital library were launched)
What happens when the big broadband carriers start losing large chunks of their customers to massive national free broadband wifi providers with the huge marketing machines? Does the old internet (the one we're on now) slowly die in favor of the internet owned and controlled by a single company?
What if a free VOIP service were rolled out? That would further cripple the telcos and broadband carriers (and the current internet).
IMO, this is some pinky & the brain evil genius level stuff here. Very interesting and scary to watch it all unfold.
Carry on.
I love that. The parent (and its parent) made the exact same joke as everyone else, and yet got modded offtopic. Way to go mods.