New Google Beta App?
Long-time Hawk Wings readers will know that Google and data privacy are an old hobby horse of mine. (Many interesting things about Google, privacy and data ownership are summarised in a earlier Hawk Wings post, “Turning your back on Gmail”.)
Gene at Fred’s house worries about it 
too.
He looks around his Desktop and sees Google This and Google That and Google The Other Thing. He’s becoming dependent on Google apps to get through the day. And each new, undeniably clever and good, constantly improving Google app adds to the amount of data that Google knows about him.
He has an idea:
I think I need a new Google product to drop into beta. That would be, let’s see, Google Data Privacy. GDP would allow me to review all of the information that Google retains on me across all services, from all devices, and from all sources. GDP would allow me to determine the maximum data retention period for each of my services. GDP would allow me to selectively opt out of cross-service data mining & correlation, even if it reduced the quality of the services I receive. GDP would allow me to correct any inaccurate data in my profile. And GDP would log and alert me when my data was queried by other services.
I want my Google Data Privacy.
Similar Posts:
- Nine reasons not to worry about Gmail
- More on Gmail, privacy and data ownership
- Google, Gmail and privacy
- Storing email on Gmail?
- Turning your back on Gmail
Tags: data ownership, data protection, GMAIL, Google, Internet, new beta, privacy, web 2.0
October 12th, 2006 at 9:07 pm
Not just google. Any organisation i give my information and permission to “store for efficiency purposes” should offer me control of that information and guarantee that if I retract that permission it gets deleted. If control is too much to ask, at least disclosure of what is kept is required. Perhaps google’s role in this can be to develop an application / API offering others the use of it.
October 12th, 2006 at 9:10 pm
You could make the case that this is the most efficient way that Google could comply with EU Data Protection law, too – they’re bound by it for at least some of their consumers.
October 12th, 2006 at 10:13 pm
Awesome idea
October 13th, 2006 at 2:28 am
Tim, thanks for the link. The more I think about it, the more I believe this idea is something Google really should do. Concerns over data privacy & control are just going to get worse as more people move to these hosted services. What better way for GOOG to differentiate themselves, and show some real corporate responsibility at the same time. GDP would put some teeth into that slogan, “don’t be evil”, don’t you think?
October 13th, 2006 at 6:42 am
Hi Gene, you won’t get any arguments from me on this one. I definitely agree with you.
Although I think it is unlikely, as personal data is the raw material or capital that users surrender to Google in return for its (excellent) free services. Google will want to retain its ability to maximise the use it can make from the data that passes through its services.
Let’s hope I am wrong.
October 13th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
I’m in full agreement as well, and this is something that I actually don’t worry that much about. I just know I should. The one thing that would really get me to buy in fully to the Google plan would be control. The second best thing would be knowledge. Even that is lacking right now. I don’t even know what Google knows about me. I know that theoretically they could know a lot, but if I saw it sitting somewhere I’d probably freak out a bit. So you know that will never happen that they show you what they know about you. They don’t want to scare people. But if they could show us *and* allow us to control it at least a little bit, then they would be in a much better position.
Great article, and great idea, Gene.
October 14th, 2006 at 1:02 am
This is, as others have stated, an awesome idea, and one that is so powerful and unique that it fits right in with the other powerful tools that Google has put forth. May I add that “GDP” should also tell the user the effect of cutting short the data that Google keeps about the user on the services Google provides with that data.
I’m relying more and more on Google–Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Notifier… I’m anxious to try out Writely and Google Spreadsheets. But I do worry about Google having all of that information about me.
A Google motto is “Don’t be evil.” I think the GDP would be a way to assure their customers that they are doing the right thing with our data.
October 14th, 2006 at 2:43 am
The extension for Googlefox (er, Firefox; works in Yahoofox/Flock, also), available at customizegoogle.com, offers two added privacy options in the “Privacy” tab.
November 20th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
Pardalis, Inc. has patented methods for the kind of data ownership that this string of conversation relates to, and has developed a hosted webservice for information producers to control (or license) their data even after access has been shared with another.
I would welcome comments or questions. More information is at http://www.pardalis.com. My direct e-mail is steve@pardalis.com. Please reference ‘Data Ownership’.