" Google Inc. is refusing to speak with reporters at CNet's online news site after it ran a story that used Google's chief executive to illustrate how easily the company's search engine finds personal information.
Google last week told News.com, the online tech news service of CNet Networks Inc., that it would not speak to its reporters for a year, said News.com's editor. Google was angered by a story last month that focused on potential threats the search engine posed to personal privacy, said Jai Singh, News.com's editor in chief.
To demonstrate the point, writer Elinor Mills "googled" CEO Eric E. Schmidt.
In her story, Mills included a link to Schmidt's home address, his net worth of $1.5 billion and noted that he had attended the Burning Man art festival and was an amateur pilot. Mills said she spent 30 minutes on Google to obtain the information.
"We didn't go out and break into any databases to get this information," Singh said. "This is all publicly available information."
A Google spokesman declined to speak with Associated Press about the story."
That is part of the life Schmidt chose when he and Brin started down the road that they are on. The privacy issues are very serious. It is rather disappointing to read that they are responding so childishly to this.
3 comments:
I agree with you 100 percent. They have taken the opportunity to crow about how good their search engines are and then behind the scenes tried to wipe out the information.
M,
This is a good lesson for them, but will they learn from it. I wonder.
I admit searching an individual once, and it was surprising within 30 minutes the info I obtained. Actually I found it somewhat scary...that info was so easily found.
I find it to be a double edged sword. (smiling) It can get you both ways. Or perhaps another view good and bad! (smiling)
I am a pretty open person with my life but there are a few things I like to remain silent about. Go figure...(lol)
I heard this on the news too, quite mind boggling! (smiling)
Post a Comment