Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
eWEEK.com
Search
eWEEK.com
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Development
    • Development
    • IT Management
    • Servers

    Google Chrome Loses Luster over EULA, Privacy Concerns

    By
    CLINT BOULTON
    -
    September 4, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      For all of the glitz and glamour swirling around its Chrome Web browser, Google is working out to put out fires among corporate users concerned that the EULA enables Google to own source code and other proprietary information.
      One day after Google’s beta launch of the Web browser Sept. 2, users complained that Section 11 of the end-user license agreement gave Google too much control over information after it was entered into the browser.
      An anonymous Google Watch reader told me Sept. 2 that his company is banned from using Chrome.
      He also noted that a security officer of another organization told him Chrome was put on that company’s banned software list, calling for users to remove it from their system. The reason? He explained:

      “Google has included some extremely harsh terminology in their user license that gives them ownership of content you view through the viewer. In our environment that could include source code, proprietary information stored in PDFs viewed online and other property. Until we can research the impact, this browser will remain on the do not install list.“

      Google swiftly amended the section, but here is the original iteration of the section that troubled people:

      “By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any content which you submit, post or display on or through, the services.“

      A Google spokesperson told me Google has since updated the language in Section 11, which was culled from Google’s broad Universal Terms of Service, used for many of Google’s products.

      Section 11.1 now reads: “You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.”

      Google Omnibox Also Raises Concerns

      This seemed to mollify my anonymous poster, who later added this comment: “So maybe they aren’t that evil after all.”
      Snarky comments aside, Google has other issues it must contend with, including questions of privacy. Google stores 2 percent of the information users type into the Omnibox, a bar that combines a browser’s address bar and search box.
      It should be noted that this applies only to Google Chrome users who have Google set as their default search engine on the browser and have the suggest feature turned on.
      A Google spokesperson explained to me that “many of those entries are for search queries, which we already store basic log information for as we do for a search made from any browser when the user hits enter. “
      Also, a user can either turn off the suggest feature or use the Incognito mode and entries into the Omnibox will not be stored in Google’s logs, unless the user hits enter and has entered a search query in the Omnibox.
      In my opinion, 2 percent isn’t so bad. Google is already tucking away info on our search queries, so why should the Omnibox be any different?

      And if you’re totally paranoid about this, turn off auto-suggest; you need to make the decision about what’s more important. Is it the auto-suggest feature, or the comfort of knowing that Google can’t access the minute quantity of search query data from you through Chrome that it already gets from your general search queries?
      ReadWriteWeb’s Marshall Kirkpatrick has a great post on Google’s privacy line-straddling history here.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      CHRIS PREIMESBERGER - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      CHRIS PREIMESBERGER - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      EWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      ZEUS KERRAVALA - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      WAYNE RASH - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Info

      © 2020 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×