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| CURRENT SECTION :: News | UK's most visited IT Contractor Site - 250k unique visitors March 2008 |
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Search supremeo Google has let slip a controversial plan to create a massive online database that will store copies of users’ computer hard drives. Codenamed the GDrive, the unprecedented bid to store all users’ files, including emails, Web history and pictures was revealed in a Mountain View slideshow wrongly published on the internet. First revealed by Greg Linden, founder of Findory.com, the aim of the project is to make “the online copy of your data… the Golden Copy and your local machine copy…more like a cache.” Responding to Contractor UK, a Google spokeswoman refused to confirm or deny the existence of the project, but admitted the slideshow and notes have been deleted because they wrongly appeared online. However the supporting notes, which have been reproduced by Google critics, claim Eric Schmidt, company CEO, views the aim of the project as storing “100 per cent” of consumer information. “With infinite storage, we can house all user files, including: emails, web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc),” the notes said. “As we move toward the ‘Store 100%’ reality, the online copy of your data will become your Golden Copy and your local-machine copy serves more like a cache. An important implication of this theme is that we can make your online copy more secure than it would be on your own machine,” Google said. Trapping and storing personal data of computer users is billed as a central strategy for the Californian-based company to ensure their core product of search is not relegated to “commodity” status. Google wants to “expand to other sources of data” with a view to “introducing new personalisation elements” in Web Search, while continuing to offer new forms of content, “video, audio, printed materials.” Its supporters point out the company has recently proved itself in protecting the privacy of its users by refusing to hand over search data to the US government. “AOL gave them the records, MSN gave them the records, Yahoo gave them the records, Google said no,” Google Watch Watch stated in a recent posting. The author adds, “This [action] is just another example of how Google is run by people with principles and ethics.” Yet over at Geeking with Greg, Linden struggles to understand why Google decided to pull the GDrive notes offline. “Google's mission may be ‘to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible,’ but some information is not intended to be accessed by all,” he said. Mar 10, 2006 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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