Google Desktop 3 - Privacy continues to erode...

Google have just released version 3 of their Desktop Search application , and it seems to be generating a lot of talk across the blogosphere!

The main new feature in this release seems to be the ability to search across remote computers, e.g. seach your desktop machine from your laptop, or search your home machine from work etc.

Although this sounds like a pretty neat feature, Mike (from TechCrunch) raises some interesting security and privacy issues about it, as in order to use this feature, all your search index data gets stored on Google's servers! (Although apparently only temporarily .) The EFF have gone as far as telling people not to use the product at all !

It's interesting to watch the gradual changes Google (and others) are making into how they store and use our data. I'm sure if they came straight out and announced that they will store all our data, a lot of people wouldn't use it, but by making lots of small changes as part of new features they are gradully storing more and moe of our information.

For example, if you use a lot of Google services (all linked to your google account) they have access to at elast the following details:

• All your email messages (and contacts) through GMail
• All your IM conversations (and contacts) through GoogleTalk
• All your searches through Personlised Search (Includes web searches, news searches, products you're interested in (froogle), etc.)
• Any feeds you use through Google Reader
• And now the contents of all documents on your computers through Google Desktop.

And I'm sure I've missed a lot of stuff!

From Google's point of view, the more information they are storing for us the better. It makes us more likely to use their services, therefore increasing their advertising revenue, and reduces our reliance on the Microsoft operating system.

I personally think there are a lot of benefits to storing everything on remote servers (access from anywhere, automatic backup and protection, etc.) but how far would we trust third parties with all our data, especially given their ability to change their privacy policies etc as needed??

I think this question will only be answered over time as we see how much trust peole are willing to give out, but I can't see us moving to completely remote storage any time soon!!