

Think you have a secret life?  Think again. - kkim
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2007/pulpit_20071109_003391.html

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raghus
"Take all the web usage and YouTube video data Google has been acquiring about
us all, glue it to our data down at the credit bureau, tie it to our mobile
phone number and our mobile activity"...

Yahoo has as much, if not more data about us than Google - and for longer.
Yahoo knows everyone I emailed for the past 10+ years (Yahoo! Mail), what
links I find interesting (del.icio.us), what links I find interesting but
don't want you to know about (Private del.icio.us), where I've been and who I
meet (Flickr photos), who my trusted friends and family are (Flickr
Contacts/Family), what online communities I take part in (Yahoo Groups) - and
we haven't even touched on Yahoo Web Search History. Plus I've bought domains
from them so they have my CC and home address.

If Yahoo wanted, I am sure they could build a frighteningly accurate dossier
on most of us.

Why is it that all these Big Brother scenarios worry about Google finding out
everything and more about us rather than Yahoo?

Is Yahoo such a has-been or has Google taken on quite the Sauron persona - the
all-seeing eye?

~~~
derefr
Because Google has proven that they know how to index, and cluster,
information better than anyone else. Having all the information in the world
at your fingertips is a _necessary_ , but not _sufficient_ , condition for
omniscience; you must also know _which box_ the ark of the covenant is in.

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robg
The important bit is the metadata plus the uniqueness of the phone number.
Whereas an IP address or, as he notes, a SSN can be used by many people, how
many people use the same cell number/phone? And the IP is tied to a specific
location while the SSN has no real world significance except as a verifier. By
contrast, it's easy to see if a phone number is live and _where_ it is. What's
better from a marketing perspective, especially since you're out in the world
uniquely traveling around with it?

If that's the Google play - wow.

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mojuba
Soon, Google will be able to hire without interviewing.

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rms
I believe Google will make free service available on the 700 megahertz
spectrum but I don't see them making the leap into identify verification --
that would even start to creep me out.

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myoung8
Wow, that was far-fetched.

I'm starting to wonder, is there a limit on the number of ad-based services we
can have in the economy? (i.e. are there are fixed number of ad dollars to be
spent)

~~~
asdflkj
Probably not. Advertising is slowly becoming less like brainwashing and more
like a valuable service to the consumer. Where there is value, there will be
money. The only limit on that value I can think of will be reached when Google
(or whoever) learns to read our minds perfectly.

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zach
I'm betting the Social Security number with 3,000 people using it must belong
to the guy from Lifelock.

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kajecounterhack
I see 1984 in our future. Eric Schmitt is Big Brother!!!

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cellis
thats a lot of ifs.

