Google: The ultimate open relationship

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/