Google chrome is it a waste of time

[rodnreeluk 10]

Have just done a search for "google privacy issues". This is the first thing I found:

 

"Attorneys General Challenge Google’s New Privacy Policy

 

Under the new privacy policy, Google can combine users’ personal information from services such as YouTube with Gmail and all other Google products

 

Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen joined with attorneys general of 36 states and territories Wednesday in raising “strong concerns” about a new privacy policy by Google, Inc., scheduled to take effect March 1 for all users of Google products and services.

 

Under the new privacy policy, Google can combine users’ personal information from services such as YouTube with Gmail and all other Google products.

 

“This not only raises personal privacy issues, but it makes the collected personal information an attractive target for hackers and identity thieves,” Jepsen said in a press release. “Google has not given users a real choice to participate and the policy makes it practically impossible to opt out, short of exiting all Google services.”

 

In a letter to Larry Page, Google’s chief executive officer, the attorneys general outlined their issues and requested a meeting with the company as soon as possible to “work toward a solution that will best protect the privacy needs of those who use Google’s products.”

 

The attorneys general said Google’s policy “appears to invade consumer privacy” by automatically sharing personal information consumers provide for one Google product, such as Gmail and YouTube, with all Google products.

 

“Consumers may be comfortable with Google knowing their Search queries, but not with it knowing their whereabouts, yet the new privacy policy appears to give them no choice in the matter, further invading their privacy,” the attorneys general wrote. Also, consolidated personal data profiles would be an attractive target for hackers and privacy thieves, they said.

 

For most users, opting out of all Google products and services would not be a practical choice because of the expense involved. For example, users who rely on Google products for their business or government services – uses that Google has actively promoted – may need to move their entire operations to different platforms to avoid expanded information sharing, the attorneys general said.

 

Users of Android-powered smartphones – estimated to be 50 percent of the national smartphone market – must log in to Google to activate much of the functionality of their devices. They would need to buy a new phone to avoid Google’s privacy policy.

 

In Connecticut, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Fitzsimmons, head of the Data Privacy Task Force, is handling this issue for the Attorney General with Associate Attorney General Perry Zinn-Rowthorn, the press release said."

(http://waterford.patch.com/articles/attorneys-general-challenge-google-s-new-privacy-policy-f33c950b)

[rodnreeluk 10]

Sorry for the repeat posting, but I was asked for evidence. This little video is very informative and well worth listening to. It is a bit tongue-in-cheek but that doesn't alter the facts:

 

http://www.chrisrawlinson.com/2010/03/google-the-beast-file-googles-interests-values/

[Cyclone 10]

Under the new privacy policy, Google can combine users’ personal information from services such as YouTube with Gmail and all other Google products

 

I can't see the bit where it says that Chrome records all your browsing from your porn to your personal banking, which was the allegation that was made...

 

I don't care if google share the data they gather from YouTube and gmail, it doesn't bother me.

[sedith 19]

I removed it a while ago, 'Chrome' is garbage!

[Cyclone 10]

Too much to quote here. See these 2 articles for starters and check out the links in the second one:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Google

 

This is a quote from the privacy section of the second link:

"Google has been suspected to collect and aggregate data of internet users through the various tools provided to developers, such as Google analytics, Google Web fonts and Google APIs. This might allow to figure out a user's route through internet by storing it's IP on each site (cross-domain web tracking). Linked to other information made available through Google APIs, which are widely used, Google might be able to provide a quite complete web user profile linked to an IP. This kind of data is invaluable for marketing agencies, and for Google itself to increase the efficiency of its own marketing/advertising activities.

That's full of might and maybe... There's also no evidence that google sells the information on (another allegation on this thread) if they collect it in this way then they use it to target ads at you.

[BarryRiley 10]

I can't see the bit where it says that Chrome records all your browsing from your porn to your personal banking, which was the allegation that was made...

 

I don't care if google share the data they gather from YouTube and gmail, it doesn't bother me.

 

Me neither. How else do people expect to receive software for nothing? People seem downright shocked that Google make money off their products.

[Emmie92 10]

I removed it a while ago, 'Chrome' is garbage!

 

Why is it garbage?

[VideoPro 10]

Why is it garbage?

 

It doesn't look like Internet Exploder?

[hmkaudition 10]

don't use IE, chrome is way much better or u can try firefox or safari

[swarfendor437 14]

don't use IE, chrome is way much better or u can try firefox or safari

 

Firefox (or rather Mozilla Foundation that produce it) just received $300 million (allegedly) in their coffers to keep the Goolgle search bar (I am reliably informed by someone in the states off the ComiceOS forum rundrj).

 

As for tracking, I was just doing some housekeeping on the machine that my better half is using for her degree course and I came across something strange in the 'Add/Remove' Programs panel - roughly remember trying Chrome in October last year and after less than a day's usage I got rid of it. In the Programs was a strange affair called 'Complitly' (Yorkshire spelling?) - after going through the registry found a key that linked it to Chrome. On C:/ Drive (not in programs) was a folder of the same name and in that was a DOS icon'd .exe called 'KeepMeUpToDate' -

[the_bloke 17]

Any web developer that doesn't write code to support IE, no matter if they like it as their own personal browser or not, isn't supporting all their prospective customers.

 

Any web developer that isn't prepared or is technically unable to get around the hurdles involved with writing code for older versions of IE, isn't a good developer. Likewise, any developer thinking their fancy JScript, Flash and Ajax powered site will work just as well in Firefox as Chrome as Safari isn't a good developer either.

 

You'll find that web developers supporting business users will be forced into supporting IE as few major corporations will allow users to install different browsers willy nilly due to support issues.

[ElasticMan 10]

In the Programs was a strange affair called 'Complitly' (Yorkshire spelling?) - after going through the registry found a key that linked it to Chrome. On C:/ Drive (not in programs) was a folder of the same name and in that was a DOS icon'd .exe called 'KeepMeUpToDate' - :

 

 

Whatever it is, it isn't anything to do with Chrome - I don't have it on here, its not my our XP machine either.

 

Possibly something to do with an extension?