There has been some concerns lately with the free WiFi service Google will be offering in San Francisco. Specifically,
that Google could be monitoring user’s experiences when they connect.
Even though this WiFi will be a
free service offered by Google, it is up in air as to what kinds of data Google will be tracking. Will they be just
tracking the amount of connections? The sites that are visited? The amount of data transferred? The search terms?
The
Associated Press reports that privacy advocates are shuttering over the fact that users that login to the system
could be placed under surveillance by law enforcement.
Even though there are these privacy concerns up in
the air, many people have reported that they will still use Google's free wifi when it is officially launched.
1. Hopefully Google will handle it in a way that respects people's privacy, in terms of serving ads related to potentially sensitive material.
Regarding law enforcement potentially using it for tracking people, that just seems like speculation. Also, that concern isn't relevant only to free Google wi-fi. It's a possibility with all Google services. We can only hope that Google stands up and refuses such requests.
Posted at 8:52PM on Apr 10th 2006 by Adam Sharp