Google Watch
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Google Watch was a website launched in 2002.[1][2][3][4][5] The website's goals are to report on invasion of privacy issues.[6][7]
Critiques of Google
Among Google Watch's criticisms of Google are that it collects personal data on its users and does too little to protect that data.[8] [9]
Google Watch documents concerns about privacy risks arising from Google's use of long-lived HTTP cookies.[9]
Actions taken
To illustrate the view that Google's search engine could be subjected to manipulation, Google Watch implemented a Google bomb by linking the phrase "out-of-touch executives" to Google's own page on its corporate management. The attempt was mistakenly attributed to disgruntled Google employees by The New York Times, which later printed a correction.[10][11][12]
Google Watch continues to raise Google-related privacy issues, particularly its use of cookies which have a life span of more than 32 years and incorporate a unique ID that enables creation of a user data log.[13] It has also made allegations about connections between Google and the NSA and the CIA.[9]
Response
A May 2003 PC World article described Google Watch as "perhaps justifiably paranoid", however Google's defenders assert that Google Watch offers very little evidence to back up its allegations.[8][9]
Closure
In February 2012 Google Watch and sibling sites were shut down due to persistent denial of service attacks.[14] In July 2012 the site founder announced that some of his sites had returned, in altered form.[15] All that remains of Google Watch are cartoons prepared for it, and now hosted on Scroogle.
Related topics
References
- ↑ Sam Varghese (2005-01-12). "Google critic releases source code for proxy". The Age. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.theage.com.au/news/Breaking/Google-critic-releases-source-code-for-proxy/2005/01/12/1105423537735.html. Retrieved 2008-10-11. "A critic of Google has released the source code to a Google proxy which he has been running for two years, saying he is convinced it is "covered by 'fair use' under the (US) Copyright Act.""
- ↑ Farhad Manjoo (2002-08-29). "Meet Mr. Anti-Google: A crusading webmaster says the popular search engine's page-ranking algorithm is "undemocratic."". Salon magazine. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.salon.com%2F2002%2F08%2F29%2Fgoogle_watch%2F&date=2013-01-27.
- ↑ Lawrence Lessig (2005-09-22). "Google Sued". Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lessig.org%2F2005%2F09%2Fgoogle-sued%2F&date=2013-01-27.
- ↑ CmdrTaco (2002-10-21). "Google Sued over Page Ranking". Slashdot. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F02%2F10%2F21%2F1254221%2Fgoogle-sued-over-page-ranking&date=2013-01-27.
- ↑ "Google Conspiracy Theory Alive and Well". highsearchengineranking.com. 2002-11-22. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.high-search-engine-ranking.com%2Fsearch_engine_news_blog_Nov02.htm%23GoogleConspiracyTheoryAliveandWell&date=2013-01-27.
- ↑ "Forget me nots". The Age. 2003-04-05. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/04/1048962927651.html. Retrieved 2008-10-13. "Google Watch provides a forum for those with an axe to grind with the search engine. Among the site's claims: that Google ignores all inquiries about its privacy policy, illegally stores pages that webmasters have removed and has no "data retention policies" - meaning it can easily access your previous search requests at any time."
- ↑ Farhad Manjoo (August 30, 2002). "Conspiracy Researcher Says Google's No Good". Salon.com (Alternet). Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.alternet.org/rights/14001/. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Spanbauer, Scott (May 28, 2003). "Internet Tips: How to Make Cash on EBay--Your Auction ABCs". PC World. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,110664/printable.html.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Dave Gussow (April 14, 2003). "Despite popularly, Google under fire for privacy issues". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.sptimes.com/2003/04/14/Technology/Despite_popularly__Go.shtml. Retrieved 2008-10-11. "But this instant popularity contest can miss useful but little-known Web sites. That's the prime complaint of Daniel Brandt of San Antonio, Texas. He runs www.NameBase.org, a reference site that is a database of names. He doesn't think Google plays fair with nonprofit sites such as his."
- ↑ Saul Hansell, John Markoff (2004-06-22). "Google Edits Its Prospectus to Highlight Risk of Loss". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/22/business/22google.html.
- ↑ "Corrections". New York Times. 2004-06-25. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01EED81F39F936A15755C0A9629C8B63.
- ↑ Mahina Butt (2012-12-30). "Google and privacy issues". Lahore, Pakistan: Pakistan Today. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pakistantoday.com.pk%2F2012%2F12%2F30%2Fcomment%2Feditors-mail%2Fgoogle-and-privacy-issues%2F&date=2013-01-27. "Google’s page ranking algorithm can and has been manipulated for political and humorous reasons. To check it, Google Watch implemented a “Google bomb” by linking the phrase "out-of-touch executives" to Google's own page on its corporate management. The attempt was mistakenly attributed to disgruntled Google employees by The New York Times, which later printed a correction."
- ↑ Michael Agger (2007-10-10). "Google's Evil Eye: Does the Big G know too much about us?". Slate. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://www.slate.com/id/2175651/. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
- ↑ Adrianne Jeffries (2012-02-21). "Scroogle, Privacy-First Search Engine, Shuts Down for Good". Betabeat.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. http://www.betabeat.com/2012/02/21/scroogle-privacy-first-search-engine-shuts-down-for-good/. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ↑ "CloudFlare Watch". Cryptome. 2012-07-08. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcryptome.org%2F2012%2F07%2Fcloudflare-watch.htm&date=2013-01-28. "Google-Watch.org is now merely a gallery of the cartoons that used to be on Scroogle.org."