Article first published as Google’s Evil Intentions Become Visible as U.K. MPs Grill on Blogcritics.
Google’s explanation about its wi-fi data collection that it collected erroneously the emails and passwords has been rejected by the UK MPs, during a two-hour parliamentary debate on privacy. Google has always maintained that the personal data in error because of code being mistakenly included in the street view software. This statement itself demonstrates that Google is not ready to accept what it has done.
That is why a Conservative MP Robert Halfon has stated, "I find it hard to believe that a company with the creative genius and originality of Google could map the personal wi-fi details, computer passwords and e-mail addresses of millions of people across the world and not know what it was doing." It is impossible to believe that Google did not know what it was doing, given Google’s leadership in cyber technology. It is pretending innocence to escape the consequences of its wrong doing.
Robert added, “My own feeling is that this data was of use to Google for commercial purposes and that is why it was done.” Yes, Robert was true about Google’s intentions. It has everything to with commercial interests. There could be more than that also, given the accusations from some quarters that CIA and Google are secretly related on intelligence issues, though the facts are yet to be established.
Google’s Denial
Google has a long history of denying the facts of its evil intentions. Google accepts its market leadership in communication technology but pretends innocence when it is confronted with the facts of its intentions over cyber dominance, that too through illegal methods.
For example, Google’s PR official told the BBC’s Today programme that a code prepared for other experimental use was incorporated by mistake into street view project which was intended to map wi-fi hotspots in order to improve Google’s location-based services. The official went on to say the data collected was never used in any other Google project and it had no such intentions.
Fooling People Always
Most importantly and probably expecting the people to be foolish always, Google maintained that it did not know the mistakenly incorporated code would collect personal and sensitive information pertaining to unsecured wireless networks. And we have to take Google as granted whatever it tells about computer code. It seems Google has underestimated the people’s logical thinking when it decided to prepare a code to be incorporated into street view project to collect personal information for commercial use.
Ironically, Google did not know even if the personal data was being collected for five years. It did not know the collected personal data was selectively getting stored on hard disks. And it was done without knowledge of the top brass of the Google Company. The Privacy International said the said the other day that the code was a complex one and needed the approval of the top people of the company for the allocation of funds. But, Google shifts entire responsibility to a single engineer whose name is never revealed by the company. If the Google had no evil intentions and if it was a mistake, it should have made someone responsible for the damage it has caused to the privacy interests of the people.
‘Never Used’ Doesn’t Mean ‘Won’t be Used’
Google official said, “This data has never been used in any Google product, was never intended to be used by Google and will never be used.” It may be true that Google never used the data in any of its other products. But, it cannot be believed that the data would not be used. If that is the case why the hell the personal data was systematically stored at a desired location as claimed by the Privacy International? Google won’t answer these questions directly. It has a policy of never addressing questions and queries publicly, an attempt to safeguard its evil privacy.
Responding to Robert Halfon questions, Google simply said, “the allegations are completely untrue.” That’s it, very simple. You need not explain, argue, contend or prove. Just deny it and keep calm, no matter how the questions and doubts are reasonably justified. As Robert himself put it, “The question is whether the company underestimated the reaction of the public, and many governments and the world, once it had been revealed what it had done.”
Naked Truth
As Robert said it is not actually a question but a truth, a naked truth. Google is caught with its hand in the cookie jar. Graham Cluley, a senior consultant at security firm Sophos was surprised that the Google staff did not realize what the street view cars were storing. He was quoted by BBC as saying, “If you were competent then it would be surprising that you wouldn’t know that you were storing far more than you actually needed.”
The BBC News presented a case of a women refugee whose request was not properly looked into by Google. It is understood that refugees would not want their locations pictured and placed on the internet. Another UK MP revealed that requests to Google to remove the refuge from the map had received no response. Again Google’s answer is simple. It said to BBC that it was unaware of this particular case. It is not surprising, indeed. Google could not detect that a code written by one of its employees was collecting personal data. Then how could it come to know about a single request of a refugee wanting her to be removed from the whole lot of vast data that it collected?
Lessons for Governments and People
The governments have to realize that their interest toward making money is compromising the security and privacy laws enacted by them. The firms like Google are exploiting the concerns of the governments for their debts and deficits that are pushing them not to care for where the money is coming from and what the social costs of such money of evil businesses.
The people must be aware of the cost of the free stuff available on the internet. What is supposed to be available at free of cost might cost more than the cost required to pay for the free stuff. That is the cost of our privacy, personal information. We can be manipulated through our social websites internet ads and offerings by compromising our personal information. So netizens, beware!
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