For some odd reason, the New York Times has an article declaring that data-mining has now gone mainstream: ...a wave of sophisticated computing and mathematical analytics that is moving into the mainstream. Fueling the trend are the digitization of information,…
Month: May 2007
Weakening of Online Privacy at Libraries
Chronicles of Dissent points to some discouraging trends at public libraries that potentially threaten patron anonymity and privacy. First, it appears more and more libraries are requiring those wishing to use their Internet services to produce a valid library card.…
Google Korea to Log National IDs for some searches
This has the potential to set a disturbing precedent. InfoWorld reports that Google Korea plans to introduce an age-verification system later this year that will restrict adult-themed searches to those 19 years of age and older. Working from a 700-word…
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Libraries vs. Bookstores vs. Google
Library Juice posts a wonderful essay by Tracy Nectoux, a library student at UIUC, who was assigned to visit a bookstore and compare the atmosphere to a library’s atmosphere. I think it's helpful to take the comparison one step further…
Google Universal Search: Half of the Perfect Search Engine
In my dissertation I outline the quest for the "perfect search engine" – a search engine capable of indexing all available information and providing fast and relevant results. The perfect search engine will have to have “perfect reach” to deliver…
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Google to Track and Profile Users’ Psychologies
The Guardian reports on a patent filing by Google revealing how the company could compile psychological profiles of millions of web users by covertly monitoring the way they play online games: The company thinks it can glean information about an…
How do you define Google?
Last week, Ionut Alex. Chitu at Google Operating System posted an experiment to try to define Google collaboratively. He's now posted his favorite submissions. Guess which one is mine: Google is the most used search engine in my school, according…
Google’s Unsatisfying Explanation for Retaining User Search Data
Following up on their recent decision to "anonymize" its server logs after 18-24 months, Google’s Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer has posted an explanation about why Google captures and retains users' search queries in the first place. While a good…
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Thailand is the new China
No, that's not a new slogan for the Thai tourism bureau. Instead, it's the sad reality that Google is again aiding and abetting foreign governments' desires to censor speech and limit access to knowledge. Although freedom of speech was guaranteed…
Google Now Just Another .Com Business
Google has finally made the complete transformation. They are no longer some kind of benevolent, altruistic company trying to help people learn and grow by providing access to knowledge online. Now, they're just one of many .com companies trying to…
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