The irony might be a little too strong in this post, considering the very issue I’m going to be complaining about is the exact service I’m using to write it, and in case you didn’t know what service I’m referring to, it’s Google.

Google is not a mere search engine anymore, it’s grown and morphed and evolved. With things like YouTube, Docs, and Gmail, Google has sprung up to gargantuan size. No longer does Google just own the search engine, or even the aforementioned services, in many ways Google owns us.

I might sound like I’m writing this with a tin foil hat, and if that’s the image you have right now, that’s fine. Just bear with me and maybe you’ll be wearing one at the end too.

Let’s start with what they own. The simple answer is.. well, everything. The shorter answer would be to list what they don’t have their hand in since they pretty much are the domintator of all things internet. The most popular search engine, most popular email service, most popular video streaming service, the most popular web browser, an evergrowing word processing software, and even the operating system on our phones, Google has technology covered on most fronts.

With that kind of power, there needs to be responsibility though which currently Google has held pretty high. That’s all great, but dreams of a SkyNet dominated, post-apocalyptic, terminator wasteland has yet to leave the minds of technology enthusiasts.

The realistic fear isn’t human killing robots though, it is the simple spread of information. The privacy policy of Google allows them collect and store information in order to “…improve user experience…” which leaves a lot of wiggle room.

Now, Google does say they won’t sell or share your information without your consent if it doesn’t meet certain criteria. There’s a lot to go through, but basically if Google deems your information is in need of sharing, their privacy policy grants them the right to do that without consent. Which is a scary thought considering their automated services for copyright law on YouTube (trust me that’s a whole post in itself).

Regardless of these concerns though, Google has laid their information out clearly which is a lot more than other companies do. I don’t think Google will start to harass it’s users despite the inherent speculation.