Response to penkapp.com

Dear Penkapp:

I love it when you get pissed about this stuff. I can picture you, trying to form words to express your extreme displeasure at this latest (perceived) intrusion, so hopped up on your afternoon chocolate that you’re doing the “I’m-so-amazed-I-can’t-form-words” impression of a fish.

As you said, Google is now, and has been, :

“…..tracking, harvesting, and sharing your online behavior solely for the purpose of displaying specific information that will make them money…”

So ….. who cares?

What does it matter that google tracks what I do?  On a smaller scale, I can do the same thing with every single person that comes to the website that I run for work.  How is that different that what google’s doing?

The inital response is that it’s about privacy, sure.  But I say that it’s not about “hiding”, anonymity, or privacy at all.  It’s about the expected level of those things that someone has.  When I sit down at a computer, I assume (ie, know) that Big Brother is watching me. The difference is that you care, and I don’t.

I really don’t care if the entire world knows that I watch a couple minutes of porn before bed, that I spend the day looking at cycling news, and that I’ll utilize a search engine for information (I should already know) to do my job.

So google is going to sell that information.
To what end?

This isn’t a technical issue, it’s a sociological an ethical one.  What are the moral rights granted to an company/organization if you choose to shop at their store or visit their website?  Is there an expected right to privacy?  Should there be? Is that reasonable?

Most high end department stores have dedicated personnel whose job it is to do nothing other than observe customers…….to figure out what they’re interested in buying.  That information is then passed to their “personal shopper” (ie, required assigned, salesperson) How is that conceptually different than what Google’s doing?

That begs another question, however: Am I who I am online?  Is the “me” that Google will target with their advertising really me?

Let’s use my Dad–an “average” internet user.  He’s online every day, checks his email, pays some bills, and browses some recipes.  (Being retired, he doesn’t have the time to mess around online like we do.  Although it would be interesting to see him tweet.) Anyway, after days and days of looking at recipes,  Google will inundate him with ads for ranges and food that he’ll never buy.  OK?  What about the fact that Dad is active in various other things not involved with cooking?

My point is this:  Will google form a valid picture to target their demographic based on the information they’re harvesting?
Let’s assume that they will form that valid picture.  ……  Then what?

Your bitch with google isn’t about what they’re doing, it’s about the fact that you’re not in total control of the information.  If you were _really_ concerned about your privacy, you wouldn’t tweet, you wouldn’t have a blog/post to it, and you wouldn’t own your own domain name (which, btw, you need to update your address with your registrar).  I contend that your perception of your privacy is inaccurate.

That said, sure, it’s a little freaky that Google knows that I’m interested in a Zipp Sub9 with a Powertap.  I’m really OK with that, though.  Just as I’m OK with stretching in front of the picture window while turning up the volume on the stereo.  If my tubesteak’s swinging in the breeze and somebody sees it, then she will they will either be offended or not.  Either way, doesn’t matter to me.  It’s not going to change what I do, what I think, or how I behave.