Is Google Web Accelerator safe?

[t3h l337 n3wb]

http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=2858

I've been using it on Firefox for about ~2-3 hours today, and it says I've saved 9 minutes. But what about privacy? Should we be scared about sending our visited websites to Google? Are they just "another Microsoft" in disguise? Comments please.

 

[Cat]

If a website properly tags data that isn't supposed to be cached, then you won't have a problem.

 

[yllus]

Of course they're another Microsoft in disguise. What do you think they write all this software for, sex appeal? It comes down to $$$.

You'd never see me using a web proxy like this. Just what I want, a huge company out there compiling detailed information about what sites I visit, how long I stay for, what keywords to hit me with based on what kind of messages I respond to...blech.

 

[Generator]

Google one day is going to know what I had for breakfast. Did anyone find it odd that google advises people to not delete their emails?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Generator
Google one day is going to know what I had for breakfast. Did anyone find it odd that google advises people to not delete their emails?

I think the trade-offs are worth it. everybody else in the world already has my information. at least google gives me stuff back

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

*bump* Any other comments?

 

[Joemonkey]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Generator
Google one day is going to know what I had for breakfast. Did anyone find it odd that google advises people to not delete their emails?

I think the trade-offs are worth it. everybody else in the world already has my information. at least google gives me stuff back

did you read the article? if everyone on anandtech used this, all their private messages would be saved on google's web accelerator for anyone to read. I feel safer leaving them on anandtech's server

 

[mjrpes3]

I had it installed for six minutes before uninstalling it. I realized that a few sites I visit aren't normally public on the web. They aren't over a secure connection, nor is a password needed. Without google accelerator, no one else knows about a site like this. By using google accelerator, there is now a middle man between the web server and me, sorted and caching whatever page it is I go to. I could see google potentially adding these sorts of 'hidden pages' to their web search. This would be a great boon to google, as it would give them an edge in the search department, using people as the 'indexing robots' for pages it can't normally get to. In google's privacy policy there doesn't seem to be anything that suggests otherwise; moreover, it reads, "When you use Google Web Accelerator, Google servers receive and log your page requests."

Perhaps I'm a bit paranoid. But after using the web accelerator for six minutes, I wasn't noticing a big speed difference with page loading either. So uninstalled it went.

 

[JustAnAverageGuy]

Originally posted by: mjrpes3
I had it installed for six minutes before uninstalling it. I realized that a few sites I visit aren't normally public on the web. They aren't over a secure connection, nor is a password needed. Without google accelerator, no one else knows about a site like this. By using google accelerator, there is now a middle man between the web server and me, sorted and caching whatever page it is I go to. I could see google potentially adding these sorts of 'hidden pages' to their web search. This would be a great boon to google, as it would give them an edge in the search department, using people as the 'indexing robots' for pages it can't normally get to. In google's privacy policy there doesn't seem to be anything that suggests otherwise; moreover, it reads, "When you use Google Web Accelerator, Google servers receive and log your page requests."

Perhaps I'm a bit paranoid. But after using the web accelerator for six minutes, I wasn't noticing a big speed difference with page loading either. So uninstalled it went.

Google: "Damn! He's figured us out!"

 

[Anubis]

i told you it was a bad idea

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: mjrpes3
I had it installed for six minutes before uninstalling it. I realized that a few sites I visit aren't normally public on the web. They aren't over a secure connection, nor is a password needed. Without google accelerator, no one else knows about a site like this. By using google accelerator, there is now a middle man between the web server and me, sorted and caching whatever page it is I go to. I could see google potentially adding these sorts of 'hidden pages' to their web search. This would be a great boon to google, as it would give them an edge in the search department, using people as the 'indexing robots' for pages it can't normally get to. In google's privacy policy there doesn't seem to be anything that suggests otherwise; moreover, it reads, "When you use Google Web Accelerator, Google servers receive and log your page requests."

Perhaps I'm a bit paranoid. But after using the web accelerator for six minutes, I wasn't noticing a big speed difference with page loading either. So uninstalled it went.

I installed it on my mom's computer this morning. didn't notice a difference. in fact, it seemed to make web pages load funny...like, big pause, then all at once quickly. I'll stick with google.com and gmail.com for my computer.

 

[Goosemaster]

Interesting...create a compnay that we "want" to give all of our precious information to...

INGENIOUS!!

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: Generator
Google one day is going to know what I had for breakfast. Did anyone find it odd that google advises people to not delete their emails?

With traditional 2MB size limits per web-based e-mail account, one typically had to delete messages periodically in order to not exceed the size quota. With GMail's exponential increase in mailbox size, one no longer needs to be as diligent with regard to purging messages. It would stand to reason that Google would advertise their service as having such a convenient feature, and furthermore to encourage users to modfy their e-mails habits to take full advantage of the technology.

 

[tami]

let us continue asking questions that were JUST asked

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: TechnoPro

Originally posted by: Generator
Google one day is going to know what I had for breakfast. Did anyone find it odd that google advises people to not delete their emails?

With traditional 2MB size limits per web-based e-mail account, one typically had to delete messages periodically in order to not exceed the size quota. With GMail's exponential increase in mailbox size, one no longer needs to be as diligent with regard to purging messages. It would stand to reason that Google would advertise their service as having such a convenient feature, and furthermore to encourage users to modfy their e-mails habits to take full advantage of the technology.

On the surface....


Humanity forgets that it is doubtful with good reason. In time, doubtfulness and a propensity to believe the worst of one another becomes jaded and even despised.

In the end, we go around in a perpetual circle, realizing our crude humanity, attempting to rise above it to the point of revisionism, only to come full circle, and find ourselves in the face of it.

We are doubtful because we are petty.
I suspect them only because I should.

That said, until now, they seem to be acting quite suspicious and yet quite generous.

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: TechnoPro

Originally posted by: Generator
Google one day is going to know what I had for breakfast. Did anyone find it odd that google advises people to not delete their emails?

With traditional 2MB size limits per web-based e-mail account, one typically had to delete messages periodically in order to not exceed the size quota. With GMail's exponential increase in mailbox size, one no longer needs to be as diligent with regard to purging messages. It would stand to reason that Google would advertise their service as having such a convenient feature, and furthermore to encourage users to modfy their e-mails habits to take full advantage of the technology.

On the surface....


Humanity forgets that it is doubtful with good reason. In time, doubtfulness and a propensity to believe the worst of one another becomes jaded and even despised.

In the end, we go around in a perpetual circle, realizing our crude humanity, attempting to rise above it to the point of revisionism, only to come full circle, and find ourselves in the face of it.

We are doubtful because we are petty.
I suspect them only because I should.

That said, until now, they seem to be acting quite suspicious and yet quite generous.

They are acting suspicious? Or you are suspicious of their actions?

Dude, you stoned?

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: TechnoPro

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: TechnoPro

Originally posted by: Generator
Google one day is going to know what I had for breakfast. Did anyone find it odd that google advises people to not delete their emails?

With traditional 2MB size limits per web-based e-mail account, one typically had to delete messages periodically in order to not exceed the size quota. With GMail's exponential increase in mailbox size, one no longer needs to be as diligent with regard to purging messages. It would stand to reason that Google would advertise their service as having such a convenient feature, and furthermore to encourage users to modfy their e-mails habits to take full advantage of the technology.

On the surface....


Humanity forgets that it is doubtful with good reason. In time, doubtfulness and a propensity to believe the worst of one another becomes jaded and even despised.

In the end, we go around in a perpetual circle, realizing our crude humanity, attempting to rise above it to the point of revisionism, only to come full circle, and find ourselves in the face of it.

We are doubtful because we are petty.
I suspect them only because I should.

That said, until now, they seem to be acting quite suspicious and yet quite generous.

They are acting suspicious? Or you are suspicious of their actions?

Dude, you stoned?

I was sleepy

 

[olds]

I installed it. Firefox wouldn't open. I uninstalled it.