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

  1. 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."" 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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. 
  4. 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. 
  5. "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. 
  6. "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." 
  7. 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. 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. 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." 
  10. 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. 
  11. "Corrections". New York Times. 2004-06-25. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01EED81F39F936A15755C0A9629C8B63. 
  12. 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." 
  13. 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. 
  14. 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. 
  15. "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."