Google and Privacy

One of the major players in the internet is Google. Google has revolutionized the who people can search and gain information on the internet. Some would consider Google a monopoly while others would consider it the best search engine on the internet. One of the biggest controversies is Google Maps “Street View.” Many consider this application a direct invasion of privacy because it exposes people’s homes and sometimes themselves if they are caught outside when Google is taking pictures. People have been caught fighting, washing their cars in a bikinis and sleeping on the pavement as a result of being intoxicated. In 2009, Swiss officials sued Google in an effort to increase privacy. Recently, Google was criticized by showing a dead donkey on the side of the road in Kweneng, Botswana. There are several sites on the the internet that have polls for the funniest of most odd Google Street View scenes.

Google is similar to big data in that is has a insurmountable amount of information which means it has the potential to manipulate information thus as Google being the number one search engine it can heavily influence the information that civic society is receiving and ultimately influencing their views on various issues.

Many users of Google and other sites are wary of the fact that Google stores and documents all users actions and preferences. This documented data monitors and develops a memory about what the user is most interested in so the site will know which advertisements they should present. Many are skeptical about this and question whether or not this information is being sold to third party users. Personal information stored on sites has made many users victims of hacking, identity theft and stolen credit card information.