Google is starting to scare me...
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Posted on Dec 27, 2007 01:30 pm
dbmasters
Administrator Since: Apr 03, 2002
I have this thought over lunch...I read the local story where they tracked a murderer ( www.startribune.com/local/12833201.html ) via his cell phone calls and which tower they hit...proving he could not have been at home like he said (that part not in the linked story).
Now, Google is getting in to the cell phone biz this year ( www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,306189,00.html )...plus with increasing popularity of GPS in cellphones...Google data collection tactics...see where I am going here?
They have, in my case, search history, email history, some documents and random crap, calendar entries, personal info due to my business association with them, they have address, phone # and whatnot...then, in the future possibly location tracking info, phone call history...
Google is starting to scare me...
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pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Dec 27, 2007 01:52 pm I had the thought yesterday, that with GPS accuracy, pinpointing you down to a house, most times, and with public domain information available through name lookups, phone lookups, address lookups, etc., how long before you can drive up by a house, and the GPS tells you who lives there, their phone number(s), etc.
It's not far away, methinks.
Add to that Google's vast array of data collection sets, like you mentioned, and it looks like Uncle Google is becoming the big brother that the government couldn't (legally).
Just goes to show, information is king.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Dec 27, 2007 01:54 pm I was just thinking the other day, with all the grey hooded sweatshirts i wear, I bet I'm pretty hard to see in satellite images of earth when I walk around the city (blend into the sidewalk pretty good).
Dec 27, 2007 01:55 pm I am having an email conversation about this with a friend right now too...
Think about it...they know where you are, how often you go there, if there are patterns in your schedule...where you eat, with Google Checkout (Google's PayPal) what you buy, when, how often, patterns...where you drive, how many others drive there at what times...
yikes...
at the same time, looking at your google phone and saying "where is the nearest gas station" is cool tho...
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Dec 27, 2007 02:27 pm Not only will THEY know stuff, but if my deal with them ever goes through I'LL know what kinda ringtones y'all like buying!
Dec 27, 2007 06:02 pm my gps will tell me quite a few of the "nearest gas stations", hospitals, and restaurants. Kinda cool feature really. Esp. the hospital thing if you aren't familiar with an area...
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Dec 27, 2007 06:13 pm Yeah, mine too. It doesnt count McDonalds or Burger King as a restaurant though, which is unfortunate
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Dec 27, 2007 06:13 pm Deleted By flame
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 27, 2007 09:06 pm Ya, the information age is great for the most part. But how much is too much? I kinda like the availability of certain info quickly via your gps capable cell and such. I can look up a location on google maps and send it to my cell. Then the onboard gps works for me. Not as efficient as a full on gps nav set up but it works. I can also just click it up on the web on the cell and do it that way as well.
All this fun info and my wife only knows how to use her computer to play solitaire.
Dec 27, 2007 11:39 pm I always find it interesting when people talk about the street corner cameras like the ones in the UK and other parts of the world. There's no difference between those cameras and a cop standing there.
But for some reason, people spazz because it's electronic surveillance.
Dec 28, 2007 06:18 am My son and his friends used to have great fun with those cameras,one of them would walk away looking dodgey by a shop door with the camera following then the rest of his mates would run to the camera post! Then it would be going crazy looking for them :)
Dec 28, 2007 06:56 am Quote:
But for some reason, people spazz because it's electronic surveillance.
Yeah, people are funny. There is a cam right outside my office window looking down on to 5th and Portland intersection, every time I look at it I wonder how many people have fits about it...
I love the "invasion of privacy" argument when they are...IN PUBLIC.
Minneapolis had a huge uproar when cameras got installed here and there in troubled areas of the city...damned if those areas didn't clean up though...hooray for the cams I say!
zekthedeadcowEat Spam before it eats YOU!!!Member
Since: May 11, 2002
Dec 28, 2007 07:12 am the second to last time I was hit by a car it was at an intersection with those cameras so I went to the city office to see if I could get a copy. The engineer was kind enough to show the system to me and explain that they weren't actually hooked to anything that was turned on...
Dec 28, 2007 08:10 am Ya know tho, as long as word doesn't get out they aren't hooked up to anything, it still is a visible deterrent.
In Minneapolis they are though, there is (was, maybe somebody has litigated them down) a big datacenter/security center behind the scenes...the things that were said about this system was pretty damn impressive.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 28, 2007 06:19 pm On one of our freeways, dB will know were I am talking about. It was the southbound lane of 35W just south of 66th street. There was a large array of speed camera's. Most people thought it was a joke as many of them had sped by it numerous times without a ticket. But what they did not know was it was only on during certain times. I know several people that got tickets out of it. Although it is now defunct and just another piece of huge taxpayer money that was wasted as I don't think the revenue was near enough to cover the cost of installation or maintaining it.
Me, hell ya the camera's are a good idea.
Dec 28, 2007 06:53 pm Oh, yeah, I totally know what overpass you are talking about...if any of those are used now, it's just for traffic reports on the news. Most of the tickets got refunded after somebody sued and said they weren't driving their car so they can't get the ticket...
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 29, 2007 12:42 am Ya, that was the biggest waste of money. And most people laughed it off. I probably would have used that excuse too.
