What

Knows?CS 513 2014-2015 FallSercan Aksoy Utku Can Yücel

WHAT GOOGLE KNOWS: PRIVACY AND INTERNET SEARCH ENGINES

Omer Tene

Outline

• Introduction• What Google Knows?• Use Of Data• Privacy Problems• Conclusion

Introduction

Feature Experience

Superb Services at No (Evident) Cost

User Experience!

• For example Google Maps

• Easy-to-use• Free• Shows traffic • Even StreetView

• Nice Experience

Streetview Car

Streetview Trike

Streetview Trolley

Streetview Snowmobile

Streetview Backpack

There are things…

They can do

and cann

ot

Free services need your data

to survive!

Their business model is to spy

on you!

Why they need our data?

• Digitizing the real-world Easy with their fancy Technologies.But not efficient

• Project Tango• Project Re-captcha• Project Ingress

make people use their free services improve their business

Helpful Services and Free

Ocean of Information

Privacy Problem

Information Google collects

• Device information• Log information• Location information• Unique application numbers• Local storage• Cookies and anonymous identifiers

http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/

Use of Data

•Who can reach this valuable source?•Google• Third Parties• Third party companies• Goverment• Hackers

Use of Data by Google Search Engine• Larry Page - Founder«The perfect search engine would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want.»• Eric Schmidt - CEO«If we target the right ad to the right person at the right time and they click it, we win.»• Sergey Brin - Founder«I don't think it's a big deal to show opera glasses to someone searching for binoculars that you somehow infer is a woman.»

Use of Data – Third Parties

• Third Party Companies

• financial institutions• insurance companies• online service providers• government agencies

• Search engines do not sell users' personal data to third parties?• Chilling Effect on Google's business and user trust.

Use of Data – Third Parties

• Government

• national security• law enforcement• prevention, detection and prosecution of crimes• terrorize citizens into conformity and submission

Government

• «Invisible Handshake»Between companies and goverments

• «Visible Handshake»Twitter Ordered to Yield Data in WikiLeaks Case [1]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/technology/twitter-ordered-to-yield-data-in-wikileaks-case.html?_r=3&

Use of Data – Third Parties

• Hackers – Burglars etc.

• Data attract hackers and data thieves• Rogue employees sell data to criminals• Stolen computers of goverment employee

Examples• Hackers obtained visa card information• Recent iCloud hack

Privacy Problem

• Aggregation• Distortion• Exclusion• Secondary Use• Chilling Effect

Privacy Problem - Aggregation

• Creation of Super-profilesSearch by search, the profile and identity of user become "transparent" over time.

«French mountains»«ski vacation»«Christmas deals»«gift to grandchild» «NY Paris flights»«category D car rentals»«five star hotels disabled access»

Privacy Problems – Distortion

• Information may be highly misleading«assassinate US president»• imply criminal intent?• a student writing a history seminar?

«growing marijuana»• teenager considering use of drugs?• parent concerned with growing drug use?

Privacy Problems – Exclusion

• Identity – Anonymity• 89% believe web searches private, • 77% believe Google Web Search do not reveal their personal identities

• Misguide• Privacy policy• IP -> internet protocol address• 4 Clicks to reveal what is a «Server Log»

Privacy Problems – Secondary Use

• Improve own services• Mining - Use and Reuse of the data

• Future use of their data

• Breach of confidentiality • betrayal of the user giving out information

• Ingress• Expectation -> Real World Role Playing Game • Reality -> Application to Improve Google’s Location Services

Privacy Problems - Chilling Effect

• Increased public awareness • Decreased use of search engines (self-censorship)• "free Taiwan" in China• «Bin Laden 9/11.»

• Data mining in e-mail• Personal usage? • Professional usage?• Indirect usage?

Conclusion

• “Perhaps the most difficult privacy issues in all of human history” Edward Felten, a privacy expert at Princeton University

• Billions of queries stream across Google’s servers each day.

“the aggregate thoughtstream of humankind, online.”

Conclusion

• Users may accept use of their personally identifiable information by a company that offers an amazing service for no apparent cost.

• Huge Data Ocean• Individual rights disapperead

• Protected and Unprotected Data• Redraw the boundaries

References

• [1] Omer Tene, Personal Web Page on Stanford Cyberlaw, http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/about/people/omer-tene

• [2] Tene, Omer, What Google Knows: Privacy and Internet Search Engines (October 1, 2007). Utah Law Review, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1021490 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1021490 or direct link http://dl.dropbox.com/u/61693506/UTAH_LREV_TENE.pdf

• http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/31/tech/web/gmail-privacy-problems/

• http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2014/07/lawsuit-over-googles-unified-privacy-policy-pared-down-but-two-claims-survive.htm

• http://www.thersa.org/events/video/vision-videos/free-is-a-lie

• http://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/

• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/technology/twitter-ordered-to-yield-data-in-wikileaks-case.html?_r=2&

• http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/cbw/pdf/imc151-hannak.pdf

Do you think that is a reasonable cost for Google’s services?

Thank You!