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So many people are saying "this is just further evidence of Google doing evil". Unpopular opinion: I feel like this is further evidence of Google being good st

So many people are saying "this is just further evidence of Google doing evil". Unpopular opinion: I feel like this is further evidence of Google being good stewards of user data. There are many reasons Google may want to protect this data: They don't want user backlash from revelations like this, they don't want to have to be legislated, they don't want the PR spend of having to recover from such reporting. Or it could be that it is a company built of people who find such protection to be important.

jklinger410 8y ago
Google, data point for data point, is one of the best stewards of data potentially in history. They have more information about you that they choose not to sell than you can even imagine. They literally set the high-bar for PII and other types of tracking data. The only ones who know nearly as much are Telcos and they have been openly selling and sharing all of your info to governments and shady shell corporations since day 1. Edit - Forgot that Facebook is catching up to Google on data and they have been a leaky cup since day one as well.
- 50656E6973 8y ago
  Selling mass location data to the highest bidder is indeed extremely slimy and even a threat to "national security". But the fact that Google (or any centralized entity) has aggregated so much detailed information on billions of people's personal lives is itself a threat to global/national security. What happens when that data is hacked/leaked and then sold to the highest bidder (who isn't interested in advertising)? That data could be easily weaponized for a shocking/devastating attack the likes of which we have not seen since the first atomic bomb.
  - jklinger410 8y ago
    I agree. I also think we have no idea what hardware manufacturers do, or what is happening with the main cables that the 5 eyes is tapping into. Or what types of high level subpoenas and so-on have been served to Google, that they have acquiesced. It really is a ticking time bomb.
    - linsomniac 8y ago
      Part of my judgement about them being good stewards of the data is past reports of them encrypting all their in-flight data when they found evidence of NSA tapping of long-haul cables, and their using lawyers to push back on information requests that did not go through due process. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/11/googlers-say-f-you-to-nsa-company-encrypts-internal-network/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/11/googl...
      - jklinger410 8y ago
        I had not seen this article. Thanks for sharing.
  - linsomniac 8y ago
    Are you familiar with the design of the Google systems WRT securing this data? Based on the revelations Snowden was able to do, and a similar level of familiarity with Google's security measures, it sounds like Google even has the NSA beat as far as keeping data secure. In short: Even the people doing OS and hardware level maintenance of the machines in question don't have access to this data. But I'm on the outside looking in, someone with more hands on can probably provide more details.
    - 50656E6973 8y ago
      >Even the people doing OS and hardware level maintenance of the machines in question don't have access to this data. Are you implying Google can't access their own data? 100% security is a dangerous myth. No internet connected system is impervious to hackers.
wtmt 8y ago
> They don't want user backlash... When it comes to siphoning location data from Android devices, it looks like Google only cares about updating its help pages, and not really about addressing the actual points in such a backlash. There is no evidence on this topic that Google cares about a backlash or PR spend or anything else. All its actions show that Google wants more and more data, and that it wants to be the one that gets all the data.

jklinger410 8y ago

Google, data point for data point, is one of the best stewards of data potentially in history. They have more information about you that they choose not to sell than you can even imagine. They literally set the high-bar for PII and other types of tracking data. The only ones who know nearly as much are Telcos and they have been openly selling and sharing all of your info to governments and shady shell corporations since day 1. Edit - Forgot that Facebook is catching up to Google on data and they have been a leaky cup since day one as well.

50656E6973 8y ago
Selling mass location data to the highest bidder is indeed extremely slimy and even a threat to "national security". But the fact that Google (or any centralized entity) has aggregated so much detailed information on billions of people's personal lives is itself a threat to global/national security. What happens when that data is hacked/leaked and then sold to the highest bidder (who isn't interested in advertising)? That data could be easily weaponized for a shocking/devastating attack the likes of which we have not seen since the first atomic bomb.
- jklinger410 8y ago
  I agree. I also think we have no idea what hardware manufacturers do, or what is happening with the main cables that the 5 eyes is tapping into. Or what types of high level subpoenas and so-on have been served to Google, that they have acquiesced. It really is a ticking time bomb.
  - linsomniac 8y ago
    Part of my judgement about them being good stewards of the data is past reports of them encrypting all their in-flight data when they found evidence of NSA tapping of long-haul cables, and their using lawyers to push back on information requests that did not go through due process. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/11/googlers-say-f-you-to-nsa-company-encrypts-internal-network/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/11/googl...
    - jklinger410 8y ago
      I had not seen this article. Thanks for sharing.
- linsomniac 8y ago
  Are you familiar with the design of the Google systems WRT securing this data? Based on the revelations Snowden was able to do, and a similar level of familiarity with Google's security measures, it sounds like Google even has the NSA beat as far as keeping data secure. In short: Even the people doing OS and hardware level maintenance of the machines in question don't have access to this data. But I'm on the outside looking in, someone with more hands on can probably provide more details.
  - 50656E6973 8y ago
    >Even the people doing OS and hardware level maintenance of the machines in question don't have access to this data. Are you implying Google can't access their own data? 100% security is a dangerous myth. No internet connected system is impervious to hackers.

wtmt 8y ago

> They don't want user backlash... When it comes to siphoning location data from Android devices, it looks like Google only cares about updating its help pages, and not really about addressing the actual points in such a backlash. There is no evidence on this topic that Google cares about a backlash or PR spend or anything else. All its actions show that Google wants more and more data, and that it wants to be the one that gets all the data.