Ok let me put it like this I think it is absurd that the searches done by someone on say Google can be used against them. For one such evidence could easily be fabricated. But secondly that indicates that you shouldn’t search for anything illegal, for example if you look for “weed” enough times, if say you are interested in it for whatever reason be it political or what, and then someone suspsects you of being a user or seller and brings you to court they could then use your searches to get you slammed! And then in the example of the Casey Anthony case they propose that the mother looked something up 84 times. But I don’t think I have ever looked up anything 84 times, i might have used words like “the”, or “or” or “a” a bunch of times and most likely in various searches of various things. but i don’t think i have searched even the things which are most interesting to me 84 times. That just seems like it has to have been fabricated… but who knows…
This is interesting i was looking at Google’s privacy policy:
"This Privacy Policy applies to all of the products, services and websites offered by Google Inc. or its subsidiaries or affiliated companies except Postini (Postini Privacy Policy). Sometimes, we may post product specific privacy notices or Help Center materials to explain our products in more detail. "
Isn’t everything on the internet “affiliated” with Google?
Are the entities that are “products, services and websites offered by Google Inc. or its subsidiaries or affiliated companies” always of a nature that informs users of its privacy policy?
If it does inform users does it do so by a means that “sufficiently” indicates the user or directs the user to the privacy policy.
And on the Google main page it only has a link to the privacy policy, and it doesn’t even say “privacy policy” it says “Privacy” or at least now that seems to be the case.
It links to a page about privacy and then links to the actual privacy policy.
but i would ask how can it possibly be binding if it does get you to agree to the document?
One might say, or maybe it says, that by using the product(s) you are agreeing to the privacy policy. but How can you do that, That would mean that i could make a contract that says if someone talks to me i own them, and then whoever i talk to i own…
Some other things i find questionable from the seemingly current privacy policy:
"Google also uses cookies in its advertising services to help advertisers and publishers serve and manage ads across the web and on Google services. "
“When you access Google services via a browser, application or other client our servers automatically record certain information. These server logs may include information such as your web request, your interaction with a service, Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser or your account.”
So what information are they not allowed to keep?
"When you send email or other communications to Google, we may retain those communications in order to process your inquiries, respond to your requests and improve our services. When you send and receive SMS messages to or from one of our services that provides SMS functionality, we may collect and maintain information associated with those messages, such as the phone number, the wireless carrier associated with the phone number, the content of the message, and the date and time of the transaction. We may use your email address to communicate with you about our services. "
“Affiliated Google Services on other sites – We offer some of our services on or through other web sites. Personal information that you provide to those sites may be sent to Google in order to deliver the service. We process such information under this Privacy Policy.”
“Google offers location-enabled services, such as Google Maps and Latitude. If you use those services, Google may receive information about your actual location (such as GPS signals sent by a mobile device) or information that can be used to approximate a location (such as a cell ID).”
“Other sites – This Privacy Policy applies to Google services only. We do not exercise control over the sites displayed as search results, sites that include Google applications, products or services, or links from within our various services. These other sites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit personal information from you.”
This last one seems fair but it seems to directly contradict what it said regarding affiliates, as such it seems they can choose which to regard…
It goes on, and this isn’t the only privacy policy, i have seen things like this in all sorts of privacy policies, ultimately they are made to seem absolute and closed, but they really seem to be open to a ridiculous amount of interpretation…to the degree that if anyone can hire a good enough lawyer they could probably do anything to you…maybe not anything, but its ridiculous seeming nonetheless.
Disclaimer: Of course I am not asserting anything regarding this as being true I am only suggesting possibilities.