KEY POINTS:
An Austrian computer science professor is warning internet users that search engine giant Google has more information about them than they realise.
Professor Hermann Maurer, chairman of information systems and computer media at Graz University, has studied the search engine since it started.
Because up to 95 per cent of internet users use its network, Google is sitting on a large cushion of information, Maurer says.
Maurer claims that while most internet users know that Google is able to build a profile on them based on their searches, what is not understood is how much information Google holds on organisations and how this knowledge is used, or could be used.
Eight months ago Maurer and his team began examining a software package called Google Analytics. Anyone who runs a server, as most companies do, can install the package free of charge.
But Maurer claims that if they don't study the small print the person installing the software may miss a declaration that the information transferred through the server will be sent to Google. That means any customer using a company's website which runs Google Analytics is effectively passing details of their search path to Google without knowing.
Maurer surveyed thousands of servers and found 83 per cent had Google Analytics installed.
"That means even if you didn't use gmail or google search, by doing anything on the internet, four out of five servers automatically pass on every conversation a customer has with the server on to Google," Maurer says.
He has already warned German companies against installing Google Analytics, and is trying to spread the message.
On a lecture tour in New Zealand last week, Maurer also raised questions about the ethics of a company that was controlling the way people see the world.
University students now "search" rather than "research", "Google" is as much a verb as it is a noun, and people have less need to remember facts when they can easily check them on google through the internet on their mobile phone.
Maurer stresses that Google's users need to remember the search engine is a business.
He suspects there must be the temptation for Google to accept incentives for information or for ranking a site higher up the hit list.
He cited a case when an American company filed a lawsuit against Google complaining about its ranking, and the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Google, saying it was under no obligation to index every server and could rank them as it wanted.
He also speculates on the possibility of Governments paying Google for information on an opponent, or to block their citizens' access to servers. "If Google did this they wouldn't be doing anything illegal. They have this information, they are a company, why not sell it?" Maurer says.
Though Maurer says there is little scope for competition of the same size to take on Google, there are ways of improving the way Google is used.
He and his team of computer science researchers are campaigning Governments to set up screening gateways which would separate the user's profile from the search engine.
They are also trying to force Google to "unbundle" its services which include Google Mail, Google Earth, Google Documents and the latest browser Google Chrome.
Yes, Google is an important part of modern society, but Maurer urges New Zealanders to treat it with caution and be wary of what they are installing on their computers.
"There's nothing wrong with it other than they know so much and it gives them an unfair advantage," Maurer said.
A Google spokesperson dismissed Maurer's claims, saying commitment to privacy is built into every Google product.
"Our practices lead the industry, including offering anonymous web browsing and easy-to-understand privacy policies and videos. Professor Maurer's allegations are based on numerous conspiracy theories and a fundamental misunderstanding of Google's products and services.
"They're [totally] without foundation."
ANALYSE THIS
Google Analytics is a free tool that helps website owners understand how visitors find and navigate on their websites. The program reports on aggregate visitor data. Austrian professor Hermann Maurer says this information is sent to Google, but Google says it does not collect personally identifiable information.
