Tara points out that Public Information Resource, as part of their Google Watch project has put up a page about Google's Privacy Policies. They point out that Google's persistent cookie (it expires in 2038) can be used to track Google users. I've refused Google's cookies for a long time for this reason. It's annoying because Google forgets my language and SafeSearch preferences, but since I search Google for so many things I'm especially concerned about my privacy. I wish Google would switch to a cookie that only stored specific preferences, rather than identifying information. I hope Google will respond with the reasons for their current cookie system.
[Finally, a note on the weblog format. I feel safe in publishing negative comments like this because I know that most if not all readers check the site periodically, so there's little chance of someone getting incorrect and not seeing the correction.]
Interestingly, they point out that Matt Cutts, a Google employee, spent a year at the NSA. Food for conspiracy theorists.
Posted by Aaron Swartz on August 06, 2002 01:54 AM