Anyone that uses the internet risks the chance of their personally identifiable information getting into the hands of marketers, law enforcement officials, and a multitude of criminals who may use the information to do harm, which could range from identity theft to cyberstalking.
Internet privacy is a big concern for many users. “A lot of people think about privacy but don’t really care until something happens to them personally,” said Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (as cited in Sullivan, 2005, para. 18).
According to a Pew Research report, 68 percent of internet users believe current laws are not good enough in protecting people’s privacy online and 50 percent of internet users are worried about the amount of personal information about them that is online (Rainie, Kiesler, Kang, & Madden, 2013).
In addition to this, the security of online data is often put into question. There are scores of instances where unsuspecting social media sites and email accounts have been hacked into. Just last week, Kickstarter, a crowd-funding site, was hacked and the “attackers made off with usernames, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and encrypted passwords” (CNET, 2014).
Google and Your Data
Google, an internet service and technology behemoth, is no stranger to the media spotlight when it comes to online security, privacy, and ethics. People who use Google’s various products and services, such as Gmail, YouTube, and Google Docs, may or may not realize what the company knows about them. According to Ghitis,
Google has every email you ever sent or received on Gmail. It has every search you ever made, the contents of every chat you ever had over Google Talk. It holds a record of every telephone conversation you had using Google Voice, it knows every Google Alert you've set up. It has your Google Calendar with all content going back as far as you've used it, including everything you've done every day since then. It knows your contact list with all the information you may have included about yourself and the people you know. It has your Picasa pictures, your news page configuration, indicating what topics you're most interested in. And so on. (2012, para. 9)
When the facts are outlined in this way, it is a bit frightening to know that one company may know more about you than your closest friends or family. However, is it so bad that an online company seeking to make a profit has access to this personal data in order to improve their products and to sell ads to make money? After all, Google offers its online products and services at no financial cost to users.
How Google Secures Your Data
The most frightening aspect about one company having this much personal information stored on their servers is the opportunity for hackers to gain access. If there are brilliant people at Google who develop their online services and create intelligent algorithms for better search results, then it is likely that there are people out there who are intelligent enough to figure out a way to breach the security of Google’s data center.
So what is Google doing to keep their users data secure? Google has a “multi-layered security strategy that provides controls at multiple levels of data storage, access, and transfer” (Google, 2011, p. 3). From 24/7 onsite security to extensive background checks on employees, Google goes through a thorough process to continually check the security of the data they collect.
The data collected by Google, including its own, is split up and distributed across multiple computers in different locations with randomized filenames. The security information staff monitors for suspicious activity in order to remediate security threats if needed. Staff conduct software security reviews, quality assurance processes, perform external audits, and track down and follow up on vulnerabilities (Google, 2011). To test the strength of their data security, “Google invites third-party white hat hackers to try to penetrate the data centers from outside on a quarterly basis” (Rowinski, 2011, para. 10).
Google is also quite strict on sharing user data with law enforcement and governmental agencies. In most cases, these entities need to provide “a subpoena, court order or search warrant—to force Google to disclose user information” (Google, n.d.).
Aside from the internal controls to protect the data stored on their servers, Google also offers ways for their customers to keep their accounts and information safe and secure as possible. The Google Safety Center is an online portal with information for families and individuals to keep their Google-related accounts, such as Gmail and YouTube, safe and secure.
One of the recommended procedures is to implement a two-step verification process in order to log into an account. Therefore, instead of just entering in a username and password, the user may need to enter in their phone number, for example. In a recent acquisition related to this process, Google joined forces with SlickLogin, a security startup company that provides another unique way of logging into accounts.
SlickLogin has “technology that allows websites to generate nearly silent tones through a user's computer speakers as a verification replacement for passwords” (Musil, 2014, para. 5). This process could potentially replace the password or become part of a two-step authentication “which is intended to reduce user’s vulnerability to online identify theft” and other online scams (Musil, 2014).
Facial Recognition: The Future of Personal Data Use?
While Google goes to great lengths to protect the data collected, there is still concern for how the company uses the information. Just last month, France’s data protection watchdog fined Google for not complying with local law on tracking and storing user information.
Spain, Britain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have also opened similar cases against Google because the U.S.-based web giant's privacy policy introduced in 2012 does not conform with local rules protecting consumers on how their personal data is processed and stored (De Clercq, 2014, para. 8).
As Google’s technology continues to evolve, the concerns over how users’ information is used grows. With the introduction of Google Glass, facial recognition is now a new worry for many. The device, which is in beta testing, is worn over the eyes and can record video, take pictures, allow “facetime” calls, and search the internet upon voice command.
Although Google considers facial recognition a privacy nightmare and is against its use, non-Google developers have created apps for Google Glass which would utilize the “creepy” technology (Greenberg, 2013). For example, NameTag will allow users to get a stranger’s name, photos, dating website profiles, and perhaps sex offender data by just looking at them through the Google Glass device.
According to Senator Al Franken, “This is apparently done without that person’s knowledge or consent, which crosses a bright line for privacy and personal safety” (as cited in Hill, 2014, para. 3).
As unethical as face recognition apps may sound, it is apparently not illegal since no specific federal laws currently govern these types of companies, but Senator Franken does urge NameTag to at least make its service opt-in (Hill, 2014).
What Are the Options?
As technology evolves, there are more opportunities for security breaches and privacy concerns. Unfortunately, the only way for individuals to protect their information from being hacked or used for internet-based technology such as Google Glass is to not be online at all. But, even that is a difficult feat because some public records are accessible online even if a person does not use the internet. My mother is an example. She does not even know how to use a computer, but an online search for her results in her full name, age, and the multiple places she has lived in the U.S. If Google offered a paid subscription to use their services with the agreement that personal data would not be stored, used, or shared, then it would likely be a popular option for many who are concerned with their online privacy. However, even then, credit card and personal information would be recorded in order to purchase the subscription. In today’s world, there is never a promise that an online transaction will be secure. Use the internet at your own risk.
References
CNET. (2014, February 15). Kickstarter hacked, user data stolen. Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57618976-83/kickstarter-hacked-user-data-stolen/
De Clercq, G. (2014, January 8). France fines Google over data privacy. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/08/us-france-google-fine-idUSBREA0719U20140108
Ghitis, F. (2012, February 9). Google knows too much about you. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/09/opinion/ghitis-google-privacy/
Google. (2011). Security whitepaper: Google Apps messaging and collaboration products. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5Y-fwYJF2hLOTVmMzQ1MjAtMDFmNS00YjFhLWI3MmUtZjI5MDQ5Mzc3NmMz/edit
Google. (n.d.). Transparency report. Retrieved February 16, 2014 from http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/userdatarequests/legalprocess/
Greenberg, A. (2013, December 18). Google Glass face recognition app coming this month whether Google likes it or not. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/12/18/google-glass-face-recognition-app-coming-this-month-whether-google-likes-it-or-not/
Hill, K. (2014, February 5). Google Glass facial recognition app draws Senator Franken’s ire. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/02/05/google-glass-facial-recognition-app-draws-senator-frankens-ire/
Musil, S. (2014, February 16). Google acquires password sounds startup SlickLogin. CNET. Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57618984-93/google-acquires-password-sounds-startup-slicklogin/
Rainie, L., Kiesler, S., Kang, R., and Madden, M. (2013, September 5). Anonymity, privacy, and security online. Pew Research. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/09/05/anonymity-privacy-and-security-online/
Rowinski, D. (2011, July 22). How does Google protect your data in the cloud? ReadWrite. Retrieved from http://readwrite.com/2011/07/22/how_does_google_protect_your_data_in_the_cloud#awesm=~ow9Lz8IJD3nyrA
Sullivan, B. (2013, December 6). Online privacy fears are real. NBC News. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3078835/#.UwJAEihyzS8
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