Google is going to start indexing documents contained in Google Apps, for search results. Basically that seems to mean that anything from spreadsheets to presentations to notes contained in a doc anywhere in Google Apps will be popping up in search results. In two weeks. You have two weeks, according to “Marie” who is listed as a Google Employee to change the status of your documents to private and if you haven’t marked your document as private… it certainly won’t be.
Where is my ethics angle on this? I’m sad to say that there is a serious dilemma here. Do you index things that have been abandoned? Old accounts that aren’t access often or at all? Perhaps the information was left there, hopefully never to be seen. The expectation of privacy when using a service that implies that the information is yours is pretty high, especially when there is no large and foreboding claim that at some point, policy will shift and your documents will be included in the indexing process. Opting IN is the only responsible method of deploying intrusive technology and policy. Opting out requires a person to move on a time table other than their own, and should be viewed as harming the brand of the company a consumer is using. In this case, Google is not following their de facto motto of “Don’t Be Evil.”
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