Information
is power. It’s no secret that one of the most successful web-based companies
collects user data from millions of its accounts every day. It’s only when
figuring out how many Google services a person uses on a regular basis that
they might realize exactly how much information Google is collecting.
According
to Rosenfeld (2014), no longer satisfied with vacuuming, scanning, indexing and
selling analytics based on texts, emails, searches, locations and more, Google
now has a new target: tapping, mapping and colonizing the networks wiring our
lives. Google argues that it has the right to collect most sensitive data, as
long as it flows across an open WiFi network (Rosenfeld, 2014). This statement
was made after Google announced its acquisition of Nest, which sells
WiFi-controlled home heating appliances. Google is not only in homes, but also
in cars, offices and any other places that an open WiFi network is available.
There
are several ways that Google has been collecting data that might seem a bit
uncomfortable for most such as its Google Street View. After being sued by 38
states, Google admitted that it’s cars outfitted with rood cameras facing four
direction weren’t just taking pictures; They were also collecting data from
computers inside homes and structures, including pass words, emails and other
personal information from unsuspecting computer users (Rosenfeld, 2014).
Google
has also been attacked by Gmail users who were objected to its practice of
analyzing the content of all messages on its network and selling byproducts to
advertisers (Rosenfeld, 2014). This issue isn’t a new struggle to Google. In
2009, Google’s lawyers said that its email technology was used for scanning
spam, computer viruses and serving ads within Gmail but last fall Google failed
to let consumers know that Google create personal profiles and target users
with ads (Rosenfeld, 2014). This also included people who are not Gmail users,
but write emails to those who have Gmail addresses.
In
early 2012, the Wall Street Journal noted that Google’s software was bypassing
security settings for Apple devices using the Safari browser. Google’s secret
code to bypass the security settings exposed millions of Safari users to
tracking for months without knowing (Rosenfeld, 2014). The Federal Trade
Commission fined Google $22.5 million, its largest civil fine, noting that
Google had violated previous privacy agreements (Rosenfeld, 2014).
With
Google’s history of sharing information with advertisers and the government,
Nest users have fine reason to feel discomfited. Prior to Google’s $3.2 billion
acquisition, Nest was already involved in data collection to iterate and improve
its products and services (Sharma, 2014). Several privacy questions are raised
when combining with the combination of Nest’s data, such as movements around
the home, and Google’s communication data. For example, Google could easily
combine this data set with other services to gain an even more complete picture
of a person’s movements (Sharma, 2014). It would be relatively easy for Google
to know that you left home after receiving an email from a coworker.
According
to Castillo (2013), Google openly admits that it collects six types of
information from its users including device information, log information,
location information, unique application numbers, local storage and cookies.
Giving the ability for the powerhouse company to not only know your operating
system, what you search for, where you search for it and any other personal
information associated leaving little to no room for actual privacy. While some
may consider this the price they pay for access to Google’s mostly free tools,
others are not comfortable with the open relationship Google has with its
users. It’s commonly compared to a person leaving their house and stranger
following them, noting where they live, who their friends are and where they
shop. That stranger would then turn in that information with individuals who
didn’t know the person and in turn those individuals would stop that person in
the street and offer them goods and services.
As
companies seek to capture data about consumer’s habits, privacy concerns have
flared. Consumers are concerned, not just about targeted marketing but what can
be inferred about them every time they “like” something on Facebook or post a
snarky tweet on Twitter (Martin, 2014).
Just
because a company has the ability to collect a variety of personal information,
does not mean it should use it. Companies risk hurting its relationship with
its consumers where using this data, especially when tailoring messaging and
offers.
According
to Hui Xiong, an associate professor of management science and information
systems at Rutgers Business School, one way that companies can harness data
power while heeding privacy worries is to aggregate their data (Martin, 2014).
Companies are able to create algorithms that identify patterns but protect
individual identities. Therefore, if data shows that 50 people are following a
particular shopping pattern, a company can act on that data rather than mining
further and potentially exposing individual behavior. It is a company’s
responsibility to decide what exact information it will analyze, while also
keeping in mind how that data collection will affect its relationship. With the
most information comes the most responsibility.
The
ethics come into the analysis through scientist and company directives. To help
protect personal information, the government should have proper regulations
about how and what kind of data should be collected. In addition, it should
imperative that the industry should have and abide some standards for the use
of big data. In turn, it’s important to assess if that is realistic or not.
While companies could be regulated by government or by an industry standard,
what will stop them from actually collecting, analyzing and using the data? It
is necessary to have a corporate conviction and belief that consumer trust is a
priority.
Data
gathering is not going away. The privacy issues that arise with new
technologies will continue to be debated as those technologies evolve over
time. These issues deserve attention and some might say that certain rewards
aren’t worth the risk, each depending on the specific type of data being
collected.
References
Castillo, M. (2013, August 5). 6 kinds of your information Google
openly admits to collecting. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://upstart.bizjournals.com/news/technology/2013/08/15/6-data-categories-google-collects.html?page=all
Martin, E. R. (2014, March 27). The Ethics Of Big Data.
Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/emc/2014/03/27/the-ethics-of-big-data/
Rosenfeld, S. (2014, February 5). 4 ways Google is destroying
privacy and collecting your data. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://www.salon.com/2014/02/05/4_ways_google_is_destroying_privacy_and_collecting_your_data_partner/
Sharma, R. (2014, January 13). Google's Acquisition Of Nest And
Your Privacy. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/rakeshsharma/2014/01/13/googles-acquisition-of-nest-and-your-privacy/
