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Why Google when you can Scoogle?

Thanks to an interesting post on the More Visibility blog, this week I discovered that not only can you Google but you can also, if you so desire, Scroogle!

OK. So what is Scroogle? It's a private search engine which, unlike the vast majority of mainstream engines, does not keep a record of who you are and what you've been looking at...(let's just rewind that slowly shall we)...keep-data-on-what- you've-been- looking-at- together- with-data-on-who -you-are...! Feeling a little uneasy? I know I was and I'm a good boy. Yes. Search engines do keep your personal info etc for up to 18 months and they can be requested by a court to release it...

Scoogle however does not give you that sweaty, palpitating feeling that you might have done something wrong when you haven't (Think: the first time a policeman asked you your name when you were six) because it's completely private and within an hour of using the site, the search terms are gone forever. Phew!

Is there a lesson to be learned from Scroogle's success? Yes - privacy is important to real people. So when you're undertaking any search engine marketing make sure that you adhere to the Data Protection Act, but also that you demonstrate clearly on your website what's private and what isn't - ie get yourself a privacy policy page - and make sure it's not just words.

As an aside – a rather topical one – Daniel Brandt, founder of Scroogle is also behind Wikipedia Watch a site dedicated to...well...watching Wikipedia...very closely indeed...

Google rated as 'Hostile' towards privacy by rights group Privacy International

  Rights group Privacy International has released the results of a six month study into the approach of leading internet players such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, BBC, Amazon and eBay amonst many others. The report; a 'race to the bottom' reviewed 20 leading sites and found none of them to be 'privacy friendly' with many posing 'serious threats' to the rights and protection of individuals. However, Google was rated as worst in the study with the group citing 'numerous deficiencies and hostilities' ultimately posing an 'endemic threat to privacy'. Whilst Google naturally sought to counter the claims, suggesting the findings were based on outdated information, one cannot help but feel this is likely to be a recurring theme for some time to come.

In fact, the report comes hot on the heels of an investigation by EPIC in April of this year into the purchase of DoubleClick by Google. The report highlights a number of privacy concerns over the data protection services  of both business's and is a must read for anyone interested in the whole issue of Data Protection and Privacy.

Whilst the sheers size and growth of Google makes them a somewhat easy target, these skimishes do in fact serve to highlight many of the complicated issues business's face in trying to respect and protect the privacy of the individual with the need to provide efficient, profitable services.

I myself am involved in a start-up business (Adinuff) that seeks to challange the way established companies manage, administer, respect, promote and ultimately reward individuals for sharing their personal information. Adinuff seeks to redress the 'balance of power' between individuals and companies, where the latter have for far too long simply ignored privacy laws or hidden behind complex terms and conditions. Whilst it's still early days for Adinuff, we will be monitoring the Google fracas closely to see what the likely outcome will be and ensure we remain 'privacy positive'.

Scotch Spam good for your health!

Whilst driving on the M40 on Tuesday I was listening to BBC 5 Live and heard the interview with Mr Gordon Dick who has recently sued Transcom for sending unsolicited email. Mr Dick was awarded £750 damages plus legal cost and is being described as a landmark ruling in the fight against spam. The news was also reported in The Times and has now spread online with sites such as Adinuff reporting on the story (also provides a useful link on how to avoid spam).

Mr Dick has subsequently set-up a website www.scotchspam.co.uk to advise individuals on how to prepare a legal case against companies including sample letters to download. For those who remember, this now has real similarities with the (in)famous Stephen Hone case, who is credited with starting the campaign against excessive bank charges with his site www.penaltycharges.co.uk.

It will be interesting to see if this news catches the public imagination in a similar way to the bank charges story and whether we will now start to see individuals becoming increasingly prepared to take action against companies who flaunt (knowingly or not) the wide range of web compliance  legislation. 

Gone Phishing!

Although phishing has been around in one form or another for some time now, it seems all of us are susceptible to scams even though we may take sensible precautions. A study conducted by Harvard and Berkeley academics demonstrates that even the most security conscious surfer can still fall foul to bogus sites. The full research document (PDF) can be downloaded and is well worth a look whether you are a consumer, web developer or company that promotes its products and services online.

It appears that many consumers still fail to recognise even the most basic security measures such as 'typejacking attacks' that use similar-looking URLs, presence of 'HTTPS' and associated padlock icon through to the use of SSL certificates. However, given that many casual surfers may not even be aware of these security protocols, it's hardly surprising they are frequently overlooked!

It would seem that the lack of basic 'online security' awareness within the wider population will continue to line the pockets of the unscrupulous operators for some time to come. The best tip I have received to provide some protection when conducting online transactions is to use a secondary credit card with a much lower credit limit- say £250, £500 or whatever is appropriate to your lifestyle. This way you should be able to protect yourself from the worst case scenario if you ever get caught.

I'd be interested in hearing other useful tips relating to online security and may well create a short course within our forthcoming Edgeworks Academy.