The New York Times and other media are reporting Google has rebuffed demands by privacy advocates that the search engine commit to protecting reader privacy when it launches its new “digital library.”
For some time Google has been building a massive database of books that it will make available to users of its search engine. Authors and publishers have waged legal battles to prevent Google from copying their works but a recent settlement may put that concern to rest for the internet juggernaut. Some were calling Google’s moves as the perfect storm of piracy against privacy; pirating copyright materials and using them to infringe the privacy of individuals.
In the meantime, the Secure Surfing Organization (SSO) notes that this episode merely represents the latest in a lifetime of disdain for the privacy and inherent rights of users. According to SSO the risks are serious. A private citizen reading material that may not be flattering to any given government could find themselves in danger should Google hand over records. One needn’t consider the possibility of more aggressive domestic surveillance in the United States, but simply consider how the Chinese communists might like to deal with those who dare read spiritual writings by the Dhalai Lama.
