Google Gets Better. What's Up With That? - New York Times

Ever heard the old joke about the two psychiatrists who pass in a hallway? One says, "Hello there." The other thinks, "I wonder what he meant by that?"

In high-tech circles, that's pretty much what people are saying about Google these days. If you hadn't noticed, Google is no longer just an Internet search tool; it's now a full-blown software company. It develops elegant, efficient software programs - and then gives them away. In today's culture of cynicism, such generosity and software excellence seems highly suspicious; surely it's all a smokescreen for a darker, larger plot to suck us all in. What, exactly, is Google up to?

I've been hearing this same kind of sentiment from all over, including some responses about the release of Google Talk and how it's tied into GMail. They've mostly been privacy concerns ... "How can we trust someone that admits that they're reading your e-mail?"

From what I understand ... no acutal person is "reading" your mail. It's algorhitms and data processing. It's no less safe than any e-mail account that is on a server you don't personally own. Yes, Google is targetting ads (I've never seen an advertisement in my GMail, though), but I don't find this the least bit concerning, because I know how it's done. If it was an acutal person reading my mail and handcrafting a message, I might be concerned.

Now, for legal reasons, they have to have all sorts of disclaimers and what-ifs, but when it all comes down to it, the process is automated to a fairly significant degree. Algorithms troll your data for words, and display ads. It is in no way deriving any meaning from the words, and they're never compared to one another. It's like reading a heavily redacted government document. You see the words, but you have no idea what it means.

I think part of the problem is that we're scared of what we don't understand, and that's a very old conflict. Google tries to be as open as they can, and I think in some cases, it's making it worse. Did anyone ever complain about Microsoft Word's grammar checker? That's a case where it really is trying to extract meaning from your words in order to deduce if you've written it properly. Google doesn't even go that far.

I will admit, however, that there is something suspicious about how it's making money. I don't see how the revenue is coming into the company (other than the obvious Adsense), but somehow, they're profiting in a major way. And they're doing it by giving away product. I'm only suspicious because I don't know how they're doing it, but I'm sure if I looked into it, I'd be a whole lot more comfortable with it.