Google is developing spy software

Filed under: Audio, News, Web services, Google

Google is developing spy software

by Ryan Carter Sep 5th 2006

I know, no big surprise right? We all knew Google was evil deep down, at least a little bit. According to The Register, Google is planning on using "spy" software to catalog and categorize the background sounds heard while you're using your microphone on their VoIP/chat client, then serving you ads based on what they hear. I suppose if Google hears sheep in the background, they will show you hay and alfalfa ads, or kids in the background, they will show you ads for Barney videos and Cheerios. Obviously, there are many privacy issues here to be addressed, and I don't feel good about Google knowing every little thing that goes on in my house, just because I like my privacy and anonymity. Google would become big brother's best friend in a heartbeat. Imagine I have a romantic evening planned and forget to turn the microphone off, will Google sell me wine and chocolates the next day? I am morbidly interested in Google's strange fascination with sucking every last drop of usable information out of us, but not really interested in this kind of software that invades my privacy. I will give up a small degree of privacy online in text only, but recording my sounds? That seems too personal. What's next, reading my thoughts through some highly advanced retinal scan? Google wishes.

Tags: eavesdropping, Google, listening, spy

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

resource said 5:51PM on 9-05-2006

I am usually quite paranoid but this sounds like bullshit.

The Googlemania has gone too far.
Worry about the NSA.
Not Google, yet.

CJ said 6:06PM on 9-05-2006

I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with resource; I think we're going to have to raise the bullshit flag on this one. Do you really think that Google would be that brazen as to do something like this and think that they'll get away with it? I really do not. Once news got out about what was going on, they would literally be ruined, and their founders jailed (and that's not hype). Say what you will about Google, but they are not stupid when it comes to making business decisions. Since we all know that this would be a very bad business decision, it's far more likely that it's a big steaming pile than a story with any substance.

Ryan Carter said 6:13PM on 9-05-2006

You know, I thought it sounded a bit out there too, but honestly, I wouldn't really put it past Google. You never know until they actually put it out, but if they try such crap, I won't be very surprised.

nalgae said 6:20PM on 9-05-2006

As with RFID and other technology that identifies you, this is a step towards what I believe will be the ultimate direction of society. Though we may not reach the stages of 1984 without protest, I think something along the lines of Spielberg's interpretation of Minority Report might not be too far off.

Convenience and safety come at the cost of privacy. Once those things are in place, you can be sure that capitalist America will move in and take advantage of that.

I'm sure the only thing people are really afraid of is the wife seeing Google serving porno ads because of all those background sounds. I know what you're watching when she's not there. -squint-

Keeves said 6:25PM on 9-05-2006

Let's face it, this will NEVER happen. There would be such a back-lash from something like this that google would never risk it (and the benifits seem minimal for google anyway). I wouldn't be surprised if they have a test of this kind of technology, after all google doesn't release a fraction of what it's developed / testing. However, unless the concept is quite radically different from what you have described here then it will never be released )*IMHO* (after all how many people have a mic connected up, anyway, except possibly laptops)

I wouldn't be surprised if their developing something to give you different adds based upon what your listening to on your mp3s tho. After all most music players are doing this already.

Qwfwq said 6:26PM on 9-05-2006

It "sounds" very farfetched. And even if there was a shred of evidence it would never stand, it's next to wiretapping, to disrespectful of people's civil liberties to be considered ... at least for the time being.

Ryan Carter said 6:51PM on 9-05-2006

I can see it now, "Google falls in the MySpace apocalypse." No offense, but I really hope you're kidding.

phizm said 8:46PM on 9-05-2006

Do you think if i keep playing the sound of a cash register opening in the background they'll start sending me cash?

alex dante said 9:10PM on 9-05-2006

Do you _really_ think there's a qualitative difference between a computer algorithm that recognises keywords and serves related adverts and one that recognises audible sounds and ditto?

Google "itself" doesn't "hear" anything. There's no intelligence at the end of the line, just a weighted mechanism for determining what content to serve to you.

james said 9:30PM on 9-05-2006

So this would be different from Gmail how?

Robert said 1:38AM on 9-06-2006

Does this mean that we will finally have a working speech recognition engine as a by-product?

Now, that's what I'd call a huge collateral benefit...

RP said 1:50AM on 9-06-2006

It's actually very simple -- and anyone who has kids will confirm this:

If you hear a high pitched cry or scream in the background, the household has kids. Higher pitch = younger, or girls. Non-stop giggling/laughing/swearing? Teenagers. How hard is that to detect? Not very.

Patrick said 4:00AM on 9-06-2006

I didn't mind g-mail's screening but this.. is creepy

Erin said 10:55AM on 9-06-2006

Man, I used to like Google. They are becoming too powerful now. I think they're scared of being taken over by MySpace.

Tom said 12:59AM on 9-26-2006

I don't understand how exactly this would work but this technology seems a tad advance and expensive even for google. What would happen if it heard a murder would it contact the police to the location of the so called murder or would this be breaching our rights? Hey google might provide ads for body bags or something.

Tristan Guess said 1:15AM on 9-26-2006

Google rocks how good would it be for everyone to hear everything or google just to be able to hear everything... GO GOOOOOOGGGGGLLLLEEE

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters