Comments on: Why Won’t Google Let Us Move Our Search Data? http://www.conversionrater.com/2006/11/08/why-wont-google-let-us-move-our-search-data/ A discussion of ecommerce, online advertising, Web 2.0, web entrepreneurship, and just making the web convert for your goals. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:58:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Pat McCarthy http://www.conversionrater.com/2006/11/08/why-wont-google-let-us-move-our-search-data/#comment-27384 Pat McCarthy Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:12:37 +0000 http://www.conversionrater.com/index.php/2006/11/08/why-wont-google-let-us-move-our-search-data/#comment-27384 I think you are correct JoeG, however you're implying that I'm saying we do have ownership. My point was more that Google was skirting the issue by saying they'll get around to it when they can figure out how to do a trivial technical task. I would have rather seen Schmidt say "You use our service for free, we have rights to that data, so we don't feel we have to allow you to export it." That would have been a much more honest answer. I think you are correct JoeG, however you’re implying that I’m saying we do have ownership. My point was more that Google was skirting the issue by saying they’ll get around to it when they can figure out how to do a trivial technical task.

I would have rather seen Schmidt say “You use our service for free, we have rights to that data, so we don’t feel we have to allow you to export it.”

That would have been a much more honest answer.

]]> By: JoeG http://www.conversionrater.com/2006/11/08/why-wont-google-let-us-move-our-search-data/#comment-27383 JoeG Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:06:05 +0000 http://www.conversionrater.com/index.php/2006/11/08/why-wont-google-let-us-move-our-search-data/#comment-27383 "Well, Google profits from owning/holding our data, in fact many companies do." The implication of this statement is that we hold a clear right to the information our activities inherently create. This isn't necessarily true. I do believe strongly in our right to privacy - Google shouldn't be selling personally identifiable lists of all the querying people do - but I'm not sure that idea can necessarily be extended to ownership. You use Google's service which is a part of their infrastructure that they paid for - I think that gives them a pretty strong argument for ownership over the data left behind by people that use their service. “Well, Google profits from owning/holding our data, in fact many companies do.”

The implication of this statement is that we hold a clear right to the information our activities inherently create. This isn’t necessarily true. I do believe strongly in our right to privacy – Google shouldn’t be selling personally identifiable lists of all the querying people do – but I’m not sure that idea can necessarily be extended to ownership. You use Google’s service which is a part of their infrastructure that they paid for – I think that gives them a pretty strong argument for ownership over the data left behind by people that use their service.

]]> By: Pat McCarthy http://www.conversionrater.com/2006/11/08/why-wont-google-let-us-move-our-search-data/#comment-27362 Pat McCarthy Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:17:39 +0000 http://www.conversionrater.com/index.php/2006/11/08/why-wont-google-let-us-move-our-search-data/#comment-27362 Yeah John, and he actually followed that by saying something about "making sure people were properly logged in to their accounts". So I'm pretty sure he was just meaning that you can only import your search data if you're logged in, which is obviously not a technical challenge at all. Yeah John, and he actually followed that by saying something about “making sure people were properly logged in to their accounts”. So I’m pretty sure he was just meaning that you can only import your search data if you’re logged in, which is obviously not a technical challenge at all.

]]> By: John K http://www.conversionrater.com/2006/11/08/why-wont-google-let-us-move-our-search-data/#comment-27359 John K Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:13:11 +0000 http://www.conversionrater.com/index.php/2006/11/08/why-wont-google-let-us-move-our-search-data/#comment-27359 I wondered about that phrase too. It could mean: "As long as we can make sure people won't get unauthorized access", but according to your context, it has "stall" written all over it. I don't think Google does many things that allow others to disintermediate Google. And I think that's concious. (Which is OK as a shareholder, but hard to square against the image of "Don't be evil") I wondered about that phrase too. It could mean: “As long as we can make sure people won’t get unauthorized access”, but according to your context, it has “stall” written all over it.

I don’t think Google does many things that allow others to disintermediate Google. And I think that’s concious. (Which is OK as a shareholder, but hard to square against the image of “Don’t be evil”)

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