Where is Google Headed?

Where is Google Headed?
Scott Granneman, 2005-03-02

As the bad guys start using Google more and more, the company wrestles with some new security and privacy issues with AutoLink.

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-02
Anonymous (4 replies)

Whine, whine, whine...

Google is a tool, an extremely efficient and effective tool, nothing more. It's not the internet police and it's function isn't to filter and play mommy to every website on the net that is insecure.

Just because it's misused by bad people, don't blame the tool. Blame t...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-03
Erik Norgaard

"Guns don't kill people..." true, people kill people.

The question is - is it reasonable to require people to wear a bullet proof vest when they walk on the street because we don't want to place controls on the gunshops?

- "oh, I'm sorry to hear that you got killed, but really it's your own ...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-03
Anonymous

Yes but a gun built to look like a water gun that explodes in your hand when you are simply looking at it isn't a feature. I'd call it a flaw. I'd hold the creator at fault. Everytime. Period....

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-03
Anonymous

I must agree instead of blaming problems on Google a company who has done a great job making web searching easier for everyone, blam people who are not running firewalls, or antivirus to combat the trojans. With all the advancements comes responsibilities from everyone, especially the everyday user....

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-10
Anonymous

Guns have no link to this subject nor does the idiots that think guns are related to using the internet or computers.
The average Google user has no idea what they are agreeing to when they "opt in" for Autolink thus they are being targeted by their ignorance and being exploited for profit. ...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-02
Todd Knarr (2 replies)

I think there's one fundamental difference, which you noted: MS's SmartTags were enabled by default, users got them by default whether they asked for them or not, and there wasn't any way to remove the SmartTags functionality. Google's Autolink, by comparison, is only present if the user decides th...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-07
Anonymous (1 replies)

I believe smart tags could be shut off by the user. And like the article said, a meta tag on a web page prevented smart tag links....

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-08
Anonymous (1 replies)

...and like the author stated there is no opt out for the google autolink. ...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-09
Todd Knarr (2 replies)

And as I believe I stated, opt-out isn't needed because Autolink itself is opt-in: it doesn't do anything to a page until I've a) installed it and then b) pushed the button that tells it to add the links. I think we can assume that if I've done those two things I want the links added.

If you mean...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-09
Anonymous (1 replies)

Todd, you are one of the few consumers of web content that are able to make an informed choice as to how you use this medium. The average Google user has no idea what they are agreeing to when they "opt in" for Autolink thus they are being targeted by their ignorance and being exploited for profit. ...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-09
Todd Knarr

Autolink clearly says what it's going to do: add links to pages. And it doesn't do it by default, even when installed it doesn't add the links until the user clicks a button to add them to that particular page. That's two times the user has to decide "Yes, I want those links added.", and it doesn't ...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-10
Chuck Cook

"...why should the web site be able to tell me how I may and may not have their page displayed in my browser?"

Bingo.

My take on it: http://bitspitter.blogspot.com/2005/03/google-autolink-and-h
ypocrisy.html...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-10
Michael

"The web site has no say over what I do to the page once I've loaded it, nor should they. It's my computer, my browser. If a web site wants to control how it appears, they can buy me a computer and maintain it for me and set whatever rules they want. Until then, my computer displays things the way I...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-03
James

I have yet to see a solid argument for the evil of autolink; the "if I were a bookstore" line keeps popping up, but it just doesn't work -- as you point out, autolink only affects text that wasn't already a link. So if I'm a bookstore, what the heck am I doing not linking to my own products? That ar...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-03
Anonymous

"BetterSearch does change the Google results page, but it's not changing the original content. Instead, it clearly adds an enhancement."

AutoLink clearly adds enhancement too. If AutoLink (or smart tags) were "opt in" nobody would. The whole point of this feature is to add links to pages where th...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-03
Duncan Hothersall

I've just realised that something has installed a toolbar button on my browser which changes to my Home page whenever I press it. It completely rewrites the content of the page, just because I've pressed a button! Something must be done, etc. etc. ......

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-03
Anonymous

"...Google changes my writing, without any input from me, and for commercial gain that certainly doesn't benefit me..."

And still you think it's ok to use adblock? Sure it is not the same thing to remove ads and thus commercial gain fram a site as adding more commercials from other sources but th...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-04
Don

Funny, the first thing that came to my mind when I was reading the article was "guns don't kill people ... etc." Guess I wasn't the only one. You miss the point. Google doesn't change your content, the person clicking does. Google doesn't exploit the websites with security problems, the person w...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-08
Anonymous

Bringing new highs to FUD!...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-09
hhhobbit (3 replies)

I cannot speak for the article as whole, since you have covered a lot of turf. Therefore I am going to make two points.

First, any tool can be used to abuse or create. Google is one of those tools that can be used or abused. The problem is, there are a lot of very evil people out there now....

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-10
Chuck Cook

"Second, adding links on your page without your consent is in my opinion a violation of copyright."

Is using a highlighter on a book, and making notes in the margin, also a violation of copyright in your opinion?

AutoLink does not change the web page - it changes *my copy* of the web page, and...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-11
Anonymous

So, in that case, we should sue everyone that scribbled notes in the margins of books they bought!

Autolink is no different than that from a copyright perspective.

And as someone else has pointed out, the things that AutoLink links are things that any decent web designer should have linked the...

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Where is Google Headed? 2005-03-11
Todd Knarr

Is writing notes in the margins of a book and highlighting passages you think are important/relevant a violation of copyright? If not, why is what Autolink does any different?...

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Where is Google Headed? 2006-03-16
tony scott

I personaly use yahoo search engine. ...

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