I know this may sound like a worst-case-scenario, nefarious big brother concept, but get this:
Would you let a company copy your private, personal files to their servers in exchange of being able to later find your files more easily? Sounds bogus but that is apparently what’s going on behind Google Desktop.
You install the application, and in order to catalog and index the information it transfers files to the Google servers, just temporarily, they assure you. We’re talking your private, most sensitive files – unless you set the application to avoid some files or folders.
The EFF takes this a step farther: with the slew of government requests for information from the leading search engine providers, this means that the files Google temporarily stores on their servers, can be obtained with much less resistance than with a search warrant.
I will choose to stay away from Google Desktop.
Just hope that the next computer you buy does not come preinstalled with it…
