During the past several months, privacy groups have been attacking Google saying that the search engine giant is collecting to much data about us and our behaviors on the internet. The privacy groups allege that because Google offers so many different services, i.e., email, calendar, desktop search, talk, reader, and other software applications that the data Google is accumulating is enormous. When reading about some of the fears that the privacy groups pose, I must admit one may be inclined to agree with some of their issues.

But this is where common sense comes in. It wasn’t Google who invented the computer nor was it Google that invented the Internet. I don’t recall receiving any type of correspondence from anyone or any company saying I had to buy a computer and I had to get on the Internet. I did this by personal choice. I also don’t recall anyone or any company telling me I had to use Google to search the Internet or use any of their other software. This was all done by personal choice.

We as a society have embraced the computer as well as the Internet We have also done this by personal choice. Computers and the Internet for some of us have become a valuable tool and have opened up new adventures, educational information, a communication portal, and so much more, that the benefits I have received from computers and using the Internet far outweighs any of the negatives. If we use a little common sense in our dealings with any Internet company by taking care not to expose our personal and private data, I believe we have nothing to fear.

I use Google every day and don’t lose any sleep at night worrying about any privacy concerns.

But what about you? Does the amount of data that Google collects everyday worry you?

Comments welcome.

[tags]google, data, concern, privacy, groups, [/tags]