http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?p=3822&tag=nl.e101
Over the last decade, Google has had the reputation of being the “golden child” in the tech world, claiming to put the needs of the users first, and being focused on engineering over profits. Users have tacitly trusted Google to only use their information for explicit needs such as searching and emailing. But the recent unveiling of Google Buzz is causing a privacy stir. Within hours of its launch, Buzz was turning contacts most often emailed into Google Buzz Friends, exposing the world to the person’s Google profile. In creating the automatic friends list, Google was trying to streamline the process of setting up a new social media site. What the company thought was helpful turned out to be harmful. Perhaps it has to do with age – younger users don’t think twice about personal information and pictures so readily accessible. The older set feels more strongly about one picture of them with a beer in their hand haunting them in their next life. The bottom line is, your privacy is sacrificed as soon as you register for a free email service or social website. I think I’ll buck up and go back to RCN.
