[Ecommerce] GOOGLE ALLOWS MULTI-PC SEARCH

[Judit Rius Sanjuan]

Google is offering a new tool that will automatically transfer information =
from one personal computer to another. However, anyone wanting that conveni=
ence must authorize the Internet search leader to store the material for up=
 to 30 days.

Full story:
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/13830236.htm

Posted on Thu, Feb. 09, 2006

Google's new search feature seeks greater access to personal computers

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Google Inc. is offering a new tool that will automatic=
ally transfer information from one personal computer to another, but anyone=
 wanting that convenience must authorize the Internet search leader to stor=
e the material for up to 30 days.

That compromise, sought as part of a free software upgrade released Thursda=
y, might be more difficult to swallow now that the Bush administration is d=
emanding to know what kind of information people have been hunting through =
Google's search engine.

Google is fighting the Justice Department's subpoena in a federal court bat=
tle that's focusing more attention on the risks of personal information hel=
d by Internet companies being turned over to outside sources, including the=
 government.

Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc.'s America Online already h=
ave surrendered some of the information requested by the Bush administratio=
n. All three companies have said their cooperation didn't violate users' pr=
ivacy.

The ability to search a computer remotely is included in Google's latest up=
grade to its software that scours hard drives for documents, e-mails, insta=
nt messages and an assortment of other information.

To enable the computer-to-computer search function, a user specifies what i=
nformation should be indexed and then agrees to allow Google to transfer th=
e material to its own storage system. Google plans to encrypt all data tran=
sferred from users' hard drives and restrict access to just a handful of it=
s employees. The company says it won't peruse any of the transferred inform=
ation.

Once another computer participating in a user's personal network is turned =
on, Google automatically transfers the information so it's available to be =
searched.

Google intends to delete the information shortly after the electronic hando=
ff, and will never retain anything from a user's hard drive for more than 3=
0 days, said Sundar Pichai, director of product management.

Despite the privacy concerns likely to be raised, Google executives are con=
fident the product will appeal to many people wanting a way to use a home c=
omputer to hunt data stored on an office computer, or vice versa.

``We think this will be a very useful tool, but you will have to give up so=
me of your privacy,'' said Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search=
 products and user experience. ``For many of us, that trade off will make a=
 lot of sense.''

Besides empowering computer-to-computer searches, the improved software all=
ows users to set up an array of mini-applications, sometimes called ``widge=
ts,'' to monitor topical information such as weather, stock quotes or news =
stories.

Google's revision also enables the widgets and other information to be shar=
ed with friends and co-workers, continuing the search engine's efforts to e=
ncourage more of the social interaction that has helped draw more traffic t=
o its biggest Internet rival, Yahoo Inc., as well as other sites like MySpa=
ce.com.

Responding to complaints about its earlier versions of desktop search, Goog=
le's update provides password protection to make it more difficult for intr=
uders to access the software.

The package, which can be downloaded at http://desktop.google.com, represen=
ts another significant building block in Google's attempt to create a compu=
ting platform to challenge Microsoft's Windows operating system, said Gartn=
er analyst Allen Weiner. The software will work only with Windows XP or Win=
dows 2000 Service Pack 3.

``This is another way for Google to gain more control over the (computer) d=
esktop and the consumer experience,'' Weiner said.

The computer-to-computer search feature could provide a stepping stone for =
Google to distribute a wide variety of digital media, including music and v=
ideo, to mobile devices as well as other computers, said Greg Kelsey, a sea=
rch engine analyst for the Kelsey Group.

Weiner agreed. ``I think Google has a clear vision and realizes that access=
 to anything from anywhere is going to be pretty valuable.''

Google is rolling out its latest innovation against a backdrop of recent ne=
gative sentiment about the company. The backlash stems largely from Google'=
s recent decision to censor its search results in China and investor concer=
ns about a first-quarter profit that fell well below analyst estimates.

--
Judit Rius Sanjuan
judit.rius at cptech.org
www.cptech.org

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