Stolen data stored on Google searches

I was actually going to let the wave pass, after the YouTube episode, but it seems news keep popping up regarding Google storing cached data on its searches.

As I was browsing through Technorati’s site today I noticed that there is some revolt around the subject and it has been affecting people all over the world, in particular cases hovering around the US area.

The first victim was a woman from the state of Colorado, who after running numerous online activities, transactions, managed to get all her personal contact information recorded without her consent. And by all I mean, phone numbers, credit card information, passwords, social security number, etc.

Soon after the thief was pinpointed all the way in Malaysia, the server was disabled, however, the information remained. Many people I’m sure have had similar reactions to that of the victim. Her first comment was how she thought Google was so ‘friendly’ and never imagined it would stock up on user’s personal data.

“Google, like all search engines, is a reflection of the content and information that’s available on the Internet,” said Google’s spokesman Michael Kirkland. “We actively work to keep users informed on how they can stay safe online.”

Other cases involved a professor who actually teaches on the subject, identity theft, whose bank details disclosed an unexpected withdrawal for $3,500. Soon after, he was told he must have clicked on an ad to avoid spyware and instead activated some kind of cloning program which tipped-off the thief.

What should we do to prevent cases such as these? When do you know you’ll be the next victim? Is it the cookies, or pages such as Facebook, YouTube, etc, which trigger thieves to finding out people’s identities and record every data possible? Where exactly does our information end up?

Just don’t underestimate the power of Internet.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 6:32 pm and is filed under Media News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply