Ask Slashdot: Should We Have the Option of Treating Google Like a Utility? 238
eegad writes "I've been thinking a lot about how much information I give to technology companies like Google and Facebook and how I'm not super comfortable with what I even dimly know about how they're handling and selling it. Is it time for major companies like this, who offer arguably utility-like services for free in exchange for info, to start giving customers a choice about how to 'pay' for their service? I'd much rather pony up a monthly fee to access all the Google services I use, for example, and be assured that no tracking or selling of my information is going on. I'm not aware of how much money these companies might make from selling data about a particular individual, but could it possibly be more than the $20 or $30 a month I'd fork over to know that my privacy is a little more secure? Is this a pipe dream, or are there other people who would happily pay for their private use of these services? What kinds of costs or problems could be involved with companies implementing this type of dual business model?"
Google services (Score:3, Interesting)
My company actually has several private in-house Google services, search, wave-like thing, docs, etc. It cost us a good deal up front, I honestly don't know how much, but we insist on using them because we can guarantee they do not leak information out (they are even firewalled from reaching outside the company).
So it is at least possible.
Re:AT&T (Score:5, Interesting)
AT&T is already selling my information too. And gouging me on prices. If anyone should offer utility prices, it should be the telecom companies. Wireless service needs to be less stupid.
You think utilities don't track you? (Score:5, Interesting)
Your electric company is likely installing "smart" meters in your area...so they can track you more easily. Your phone company--cellular or otherwise--tracks your every move, literally. Your cable TV provider tracks your viewing habits in minute detail. What makes you think that treating Google "like a utility" will make them stop tracking you...or even stop sending you advertisements?
Remember when cable TV first came on the scene? They offered "commercial-free" television, in exchange for a monthly subscription fee. You can see how well that idea worked out!
Your offer of money wouldn't really change anything. It would only give you temporary relief, and Google more of your money than they need to have.
Google Offers a fully protected data plan... (Score:3, Interesting)
It's called the "Jack Mehoff" account.
1) Create a Google sign in with "Jack Mehoff" or another name
2) ???
3) Live a profitable and secure life
Re:hah! (Score:4, Interesting)
But the companies are using custom 1-800 telephone numbers that identify you. There was a hospital or nursing school, I believe, that wanting to target gay males for nurses. They advertised on Facebook a special number that was only targeted to the gay males on facebook but the advertisement didn't mention that. When an applicant called the number for an interview, they immediately knew he was gay. This happenned even if he kept his profile private on Facebook.
Re:hah! (Score:5, Interesting)
When I had a satellite TV package, the contract forced me to connect the sat box to the phone line. The wording was quite exact, so I wasn't adding the required DSL filter to prevent my DSL from disconnecting and to allow them to transfer information. As I was requesting them to come over and fix my DSL and my satellite (it was putting itself in a degraded no HD channels mode everytime it failed to transfer the info) and I was explicitly refusing to add a DSL filter to the line since it wasn't in the contract, they finally disabled the auto-degrading-if-no-contact and I removed that wire.
But, yeah, at least some companies were really banking on this.
Re:Google services (Score:4, Interesting)
You can have Google Search in-house.
More specifically, you can buy Google Appliance which will index all of your in-house documents on a machine which lives in your office and provides a search interface for your own stuff.
http://www.google.com/enterprise/search/campaigns/gsa7.html [google.com]