Google knows too much about you

By Frida Ghitis, Special to CNN

updated 10:28 AM EST, Thu February 9, 2012

Frida Ghitis says online hoarding of our private information is not something we can afford to "dismiss."

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Google recently changed its privacy policy to consolidate user's data
• Frida Ghitis: if Americans paid more attention, they would be troubled by the new policy
• Ghitis: Our private information belongs to us and nobody else -- not to Google, not to Facebook
• She says we should follow Europe's example and call for changes in law

Editor's note: Frida Ghitis is a world affairs columnist for The Miami Herald and World Politics Review. A former CNN producer/correspondent, she is the author of "The End of Revolution: A Changing World in the Age of Live Television."
(CNN) -- If you use Google, and I know you do, you may have noticed a little banner popping up at the top of the page announcing: "We're changing our privacy policy and terms." It gives you the choice to "Learn More" or, another option, the one I'm betting most people followed, to "Dismiss."
Who wants to read about what Google plans to do with all that information it has about us?
I, too, clicked "Dismiss." That's because the very idea of considering what Google knows about me can give me heartburn. And if that happens, I may want to Google "heartburn," and then I'll wonder if my insurance company will find out that I was searching "heartburn," or, worse, that one day I will apply for a new insurance company and the side effects of having considered what Google knows will result in a denial of coverage. But I digress.

Google Project Glass

As disappointed as I get with Google, you know what I mean: Google’s insufferably complicated ad sense program, it’s non existent tech support., the way it’s always changing it’s user interface.

Well Google is onto something I am interested in.

Google’s Project Glass:

Besides, hot HOT are the glasses below? They could hold regular prescription lenses, I’d still purchase them.

PRO - Glasses will no longer be cause for derision. Instead, they’ll be as fashionable as iPod earbuds. Dorothy Parker’s adage about men seldom making passes at girls who wear glasses will finally be proven wrong.

CON - What about the millions of bespectacled people? According to Vision Council of America about 75 percent of the U.S. adult population wear some type eyeglasses. Unless Google's glasses correct vision or act as sunglasses for many it will be a hard sell.

PRO - You'll stand out. Now that computers will be on your head instead of in your pocket or purse, you can identify other technophiles more readily on the street (although like the distinctive white iPod earbuds when they first came out, you might be a more visible target for being mugged for your tech).

CON - Where’s the battery? Google’s prototype design begs the question as to where the battery may be located. As my colleague Megan Guess pointed out last year, smartphone batteries suck. Will Google glasses require us to wear some kind of battery pack or will your smart glasses run out of juice every three hours?

PRO - Mobile anytime "knowledge" will be breakthrough technology for handicapped people of all types, especially for intellectually and physically challenged. This technology could also revolutionize knowledge, manufacturing, and service industries allowing for fast access to needed data, maps, and schematics.

CON - Potential privacy issues. As we wear these glasses around town, the search giant might be able to gather even more data on our daily lives. The video clearly shows deep integration to Google services: you are encouraged to share with the search giant. You think Google’s ads are too personal now? Imagine those ads after wearing Google glasses!

Technorati Tags: computeing,google,google project glass

What should you do if your Google Ranking Falls and you lose all your traffic?

One of the most frightening things that can happen to a blogger making their living from blogging is when the traffic to their blogs dries up for one reason or another. 
 
There are numerous reasons why this might happen ranging from being hacked, to having a server outage, to not backing up a blog and losing data etc
Another common reason for loosing traffic is when Google (or some other Search Engine) tweaks the way that they rank sites and your blog’s position for some (or all) keywords falls (or even disappears).
I’ve had a number of readers write to me in the last few weeks telling me that this has happened to them and in panic asking for advice. 

LIFE On The Cheap

I don’t know about you but I’m not wealthy. I live “On The Cheap” and in case you don’t know what I am referring to well it includes: Shopping at COSTCO, not using a landline for telephone service, not having cable [which is going to hurt once they enact ACTA (the European version of S.O.P.A a.k.a the Stop Online Piracy Act)] and finally finding inexpensive or freeware alternatives to popular software [e.g Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Page Maker, Final Draft] and hardware [not just computers but tablets, smart phones etc] Life on the CHEAP also entails visiting  consignment shops and yes even  locating a Goodwill Store in areas of financial affluence [Hopefully to find donations of high quality]. 

That way any monies left I can spend at my discretion that may include splurging on something of  high monetary value (relatively speaking of course) or saving.
Living on the cheap starts by taking inventory of what you need in your life on a daily basis. For me it is essential that I meet my basic needs [food, shelter, healthcare] and to nurture my creative outlets, have furnishings and I couldn’t live without my computer, well I could but life would be significantly different.
Today many people don’t even have bank accounts. I have never in all of my years seen such an abundance of people without such a mandatory staple in life but it’s true! So a good beginning to to get: The Approved Card This is financial guru Suze Orman’s answer for people with without bank accounts who have low to no credit to stay debt free by using a prepaid card, not a credit card. You can only spend what you load on the card. 

You can use FREE text or online tools to help keep track of your spending. They’ll even text your balance, deposit, and recent transactions to your mobile phone whenever you want—every day, after every transaction or once a week—for FREE. (Standard text messaging rates from your service provider may apply.) It also helps to build your FICO Score, which is what Banks assess when you apply fore a loan, credit card etc.

Getting rid of landline telephone service was also on my agenda I got rid of mine and reduced my spending by over 600 Dollars a year. NOT to mention NO More Telephone Solicitors!

When home I use Google voice  plug-in available through Google WITH REQUIRED GMAIL ACCOUNT and make free calls to anywhere in the United States AND Canada. I also have a separate number from Google Voice so that callers can leave me messages and when I give out my number I can choose to either give them my direct number or my Google number [Which in many instances can be programmed to redirect to your cell phone].

I also use a free online fax service such as Got Free Fax a service that allows you to fax up to 3 pages for free, or more pages for a modest fee.

Technorati Tags: Suze Orman,The Approved Card

Tech Check: Facebook porn, Google Music, robot ostrich

This week on Tech Check, Doug Gross, John Sutter and Stephanie Goldberg discuss Facebook porn, Google Music

A major spam attack on the Facebook site caused millions of users to see porn, extreme violence and other unsavory images this week. Facebook says that the attack spread when people were tricked into pasting malicious code into their outdated Web browsers.

The site says it's now identified who was responsible, but not before lots of folks had their News Feeds rudely interrupted.

Also this week, we discuss Google Music, the web giant's entry into the digital music world that was released to the public this week.

Will the service just be a knock-off of what Apple and Amazon have been doing for years? Or will Google Music become a legitimate player in digital listening (not to mention a new tool in the Android vs. iPhone battle)?

Our Reader Comments of the Week come from John's story on an emerging technology we can all support-- a robot ostrich.

The military's research arm is working on a robot called Fast Runner that, well, looks a lot like an ostrich. Our commenters had thoughts on this (including one that called for a stern rebuttal from Stephanie).

Facebook for the Tech Fail of the Week. When not being beset by nasty images this week, Facebook was busy telling internationally known author Salman Rushdie that he's not Salman Rushdie.

 

 

Technorati Tags: Google,Facebook,Computing

Google Cleans Up Gmail With New Design And Better Search

Google is rolling out a new design for Gmail over the next few days. It features more white space, less clutter, threaded conversations, new themes

and better search.

 

Messages aren’t as bunched up as before and easier to read. Adding a social element, Google is adding profile pictures beside each message, and the labels pop out more. The density of the text also adjusts depending on your screen size and resolution, making it easier on the eyes. The new design is in line with some of the changes Google just made to Google Reader in terms of spacing and overall feel.

Google revenue soars, while G+ network grows to 40 million By Julianne Pepitone @CNNMoneyTech October 13, 2011: 5:22 PM ET

Under CEO Larry Page, Google has embarked on a series of bold bets, including Google+ and its Motorola acquisition.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Google reported third-quarter earnings that handily beat estimates, and announced that its three-month-old Google+ social network now has 40 million users.
That's a big increase from the 10 million users Google+ had at the end of Google's last quarter, when it remained in a "limited" trial phase. The network opened to the public in late September.
In an earnings release late Thursday, Google said it earned $9.72 per share. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast earnings of $8.74 per share.

More After The Jump