Not to be left out of the concern over the role search engines play in people's online rights, this New York Times article points out the growing conflicts Yahoo is experiencing regarding the rights of their users, including censoring search…
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Yes, Google Desktop Does Put Privacy in Jeopardy
Rob Sullivan at Search Engine Journal questions whether the new "search across computers" feature of Google's Desktop software really puts users' privacy in jeopardy. Yes, it does. To respond to some of Rob's observations: So what if you have to…
Secure Flight Mothballed
Ed Felton at Freedom to Tinker reports that Secure Flight, the government program for screening airline passengers, has been mothballed by the Transportation Security Administration. The AP story cites security concerns; apparently Congress & the agency weren't confident that the…
Does Targeted Marketing (with Personal Data) Work?
One of the key arguements for collecting personal search histories is that a "perfect search engine" will use this personal information to deliver more relevant advertisements. The supposition is that the search engines benefit from selling a more detailed profile…
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Google Desktop 3.0 Copies Your Hard Drive
Google released a new version of their Desktop software, which includes a feature allowing users to search their files across computers. The service is not activated by default, and (savvy) users can opt to block certain files from being accessible…
Federal Government Considered Web-surveillance Project
ComputerWord reports that the government was approached by the data-aggregation firm Acxiom to conduct widespread surveillance of web sites discussing topics such as “abortion, racial superiority, politics, religion, immigration, and foreign affairs,” using technology designed to extract business contact information…
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Web Searching: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
I'm co-editing a book on web search engines with Amanda Spink (Professor of Information Technology, Queensland University of Technology): CALL FOR PAPERS Web Searching: Interdisciplinary Perspectives Digital Formations Series. Peter Lang Publishing. Editors: Amanda Spink, Professor of Information Technology, Queensland…
Google Chat History
Google has integrated their chat service (Google Talk) with Gmail, enabling users to view their chat histories from the Gmail interface. This, of course, dispels any question over whether Google archives one's chat history, and opens the door to the…
Panel: The Ethics and Politics of Search Engines
Last summer, I had the great pleasure of attending a 2-week graduate student workshop on Values in Computer and Information System Design hosted by The Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Santa Clara University. A highlight was Terry Winograd's…
On Privatized Toll Roads, Who Owns Your Data?
The New York Times reports that the State of Indiana is considering selling their major toll road to a private company (a Spanish-Australian partnership) that would operate the toll road for a profit for the next 75 years. The privatization…
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