Devil's Advocate

But is it?!!

This is an adage by Google which has captured many imaginations. Whatever Google does invokes strong reactions. Its all over the place. Everyday. Literally. With a technology company which permeates deep into our everyday lives, such reactions are natural. All this is reminiscent of the Cold war era when the world was bipolar. It still is when it comes to information indexing and Google. There's Google which knows many things about you (for now. Eventually it'll be EVERYTHING!!!) viz. your search patterns (yes, they know what all porn sites you've visited). And there are governments across the world which need Google's help. So they're pretty much okay with the idea of Google invading your privacy (sorry EU guys, but you'll eventually bow in front of Google). And there are the privacy rights group who want all their searches. For free. And no invasion of the privacy. Breaking news guys- There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Gmail. Chrome browser (this neat piece of sexy code is a malware to put it mildly. Don't believe me? Well it sends all user data. Without the user knowing. Malware). Gtalk. Gtalk client. Google Docs. Wave. And now Chrome OS. Yes, the list is not exhaustive, but these are those nifty free codes which have come to define communication as we know it.

And Chrome OS is what is scary. Linux based. Light. Sexy graphics. Awesome. Free.

Scary.

Coming back to why Chrome rings doomsday bells in my head. Its all of the above. Just imagine this- as such Google is snooping on all our mails (and hence the targeted ads on the right side), our chat, our search history (if it hadn't been porn, google wouldn't have been GOOGLE. Right? Wishful thinking.), a malware called Chrome browser, our online docs and now an OS which integrates all this and much more. What do we have? A hundred million network of bots which relay every bit of information they can lay their hands on to their master. And snooping becomes all too easy. Its centralised now. And we turn a blind eye to all this. Why? Ease of use. Governments around the world don't care much about the privacy of their citizens. Heck, they would do anything to know what's going on beneath the sheets. And Google gives them just the opportunity.

All the brouhaha created around the world as to how long these guys can retain information about people is a farce. The fact is that they have become a perfect tool of surveillance. Its fine tuning time. Google is ready to help Indian government with the UID project. Are they so philanthropic??! No. We all know how Google bowed down to the whims and fancies of the Chinese government. Or did they? Lets first capture the market guys. World domination is next!!! So much so for not being evil. Couple Google's indexing and storage capabilities with this fact- they are investing heavily into genetics. The genome project is already on its way. Scary? I thought so.

And this is really cool- Is Google the new NSA, CIA, Mosad, et all? If intelligence is what we are talking about, it is.

It has been a silent paradigm shift. They are monopolitive. Akin to a Microsoft. But unlike the seemingly bad guys at MS, the Google guys have managed to pitch themselves as a panacea.

Slavery ahead.....

PS: Don't block my services. This post was an aberration. Won't happen next time.