According to "Google staff 'knew of wi-fi snooping', report says", Google has released a full and largely uncensored version of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report on its investigation into abuses committed while Google was collecting images for its street view service from 2008 - 2010 (2012). While not agreeing with everything in the report it has voluntarily released, Google has decided that full public revelation of all the details, which the FCC's more highly censored version did not tell, is the best way to end the scandal concerning the unauthorized collection of personal information from home wi-fi networks, including the "contents of some emails and web browsing history" (¶ 7).
As you have probably already guessed, I'm a big Google fan - I've been using Gmail and other Google products, as well as the now ubiquitous Google Search, for years. I thought I'd started using Gmail about five years ago, but I just checked, and it looks like I set up my main Gmail account, which now has about 100 GB of stuff stored on the associated Google account, on April 11, 2005 - a full seven years ago. But much as I like Gmail and Google, I don't want to be blind to the fact that there are bad people everywhere, or, perhaps more importantly, that good people often commit awful crimes thinking that they are doing what is right.
I don't know if the naughty Google engineer responsible for spying on people's wi-fi transmissions had good intentions or not, but what he did was wrong, and I'm very glad that there were no ugly laws restricting free speech that would have kept it secret. It's a matter of public concern, and should not be protected by censorship. Happily, the truth could come out in this case for which we have the excellent US Constitution to thank. If more countries copied the US's strong protections for basic moral rights of citizens and others, they would all have stronger, more just and humane societies.
Do I still trust Google? Yes. Again, in part because the US and developed Western countries generally do well in protecting free speech so that ugly truths can become knowledge, as the unhappy Rupert Murdoch is now learning as the scandal surrounding phone tapping by his British newspapers continues to become more known to the British and international public. Censorship and restrictions on free speech can only encourage distrust because they always, in every case, create ignorance and make opinion on the censored topic worthless, and when people know they are being kept ignorant about some topic, it is rational not to trust any censored sources about that topic. I am glad that Google both realises this and has acted accordingly. Of course, as they admit, it's also a sensible policy to "put the matter behind us" ("Google Staff", 2012, ¶ 12), but that does not mean they haven't also done the right thing in going public voluntarily.
My latest Google excitement occurred just a few days ago with the launch of Google Drive - and I'm now syncing about 65,000 files on my computer to my Google Drive account so that I can access everything, any where at any time. I love the idea of becoming more free of particular machines. And of not having to carry around and worry about losing a thumb drive. On the whole, I think my data is safer on Google's servers than on my own computer.
Perhaps it would also help Thai politics if Thai law became a bit more just and allowed more public knowledge of matters that matter to the Thai people? I mean, a porno picture? With so many real problems to worry about, that's a childish thing to get into a fuss about.
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Following Rainbow Gaga's constructive review comments this morning, I've made a couple of small changes in the difficult part of this blog post, which I hope will make it a little less challenging. However, I haven't tried to make it easy - that would defeat your purpose in being in this class.
ReplyDeleteIt may be a silly question. May I know what are the changes in your blog post? Thank you. Lek
ReplyDeleteLek,
ReplyDeleteI think it's a good question, one I would have asked myself ... but I don't want to say until after our discussion tomorrow, except to repeat that they are in what I think is the more difficult part.
And I'm glad to see you have your Google account up and working. I've also added it to my email list for the class.