Introduction to our Research

Welcome! Our research blog will delve into the ethical questions surrounding Google and their mass selling and collection of personal information of those that use the service.

College students in particular should be aware of the potential hazards that come with using a search engine such as Google. Search engines are essential for students to get work completed and gather accurate information. Students no longer use the library as their primary source of obtaining information. Computers have made data gathering much simpler and faster.

There seems to be a give and take when it comes to using the internet nowadays. Although Google provides fantastic and useful services, they also collect user’s data at an alarming rate. Are you ok with a giant corporation such as Google gathering your information? If not, this is a potential breach of privacy that everyone should be concerned about. Because society is becoming more plugged in and dependent on the internet, we should be cognizant of the ever growing number of traps that come up when using the internet.

Some questions we will aim to answer include:

• What is Google, how big is it, and how has it grown?
• Is the selling of information by Google a breach of privacy?
• Is the selling of information by Google ethical?
• Is our information safe with Google and the corporations they sell it to?
• Is our information vulnerable to hacking by governments or private individuals/companies?
• Are there any safe alternative search engines that do not gather mass amounts of personal information?

We hope you find our research helpful in terms of understanding the personal information we all put out into the open when we use the internet.

 

Is Your Information Safe with Google and the Companies They Sell it to?

 No. Not at all. In fact, it’s foolish to think anything on the internet is 100% foolproof or safe. Even Google, with their vast amount of resources and money, is liable to a hacking every once in a while. The fact that Russian criminals may have gotten their hands on your personal information/emails should scare you. While Google isn’t victim to very many data breaches, it’s naïve to think they can’t get hacked. It seems like hackers are always one step ahead of security experts. If North Korea can hack into Sony Pictures, surely someone can hack into Google. No company or individual person is ever safe from hacking.  In an article from The Guardian, Google itself is quoted as saying their search engine can be dangerous. The company admitted it is a “partially dangerous” website in which “some pages contain deceptive content right now. Some pages install malware on visitors’ computers.” Even Google knows they aren’t fully safe. While it’s easy to appreciate their honesty on the subject, it’s also a very sobering moment to hear one of the world’s most powerful companies say they are vulnerable to breaches.

So we’ve established that your information from Google can be vulnerable to foreign government hacking. The next question is “do the companies Google sells your information to also vulnerable to hacking?” As you can imagine, the answer is a resounding yes. Take a look at this handy chart, courtesy of Information is Beautiful. Every bubble represents a database hack that affects greater than 30,000 users. It’s not a stretch to think that Google has sold information to every single one of those companies: Ebay, the state of Texas, JP Morgan Chase, and many more. It’s also not a stretch to think that your information is less safe with these companies than with Google simply because Google has more infrastructure to keep your information safe. To keep yourself as safe as possible, it’s best to use alternative search engines that don’t track you or sell any of your information to anyone.

Works Cited

Dailymail.com, Ellie Zolfagharifard “Has YOUR Account Been Hacked? Hundreds of Millions of Passwords Stolen from Google and Yahoo Users in Major Security Breach.” Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 06 May 2016. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

Dredge, Stuart. “Google.com Is a ‘partially Dangerous’ Website – according to Google.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 20 Apr. 2016. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

World’s Biggest Data Breaches & Hacks — Information Is Beautiful.” Information Is Beautiful. Information Is Beautiful, 5 Jan. 2017. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

 

Are There any Safe Alternative Search Engines?

The short answer is yes, there are plenty of other safe search engine alternatives that don’t track you. Before listing off the other websites, it’s important to know what you are looking for. With Google, you are getting more than just a search engine. You get Google Maps, Docs, Drive, Gmail, and dozens of other useful tools. If you don’t care about any of those services and only use Google as a search engine, using one of these other websites might be a good idea. Of course, you can use Google’s other services AND use alternative search engines, but if you are looking for 100% privacy, using Google at all probably isn’t the best idea.

A screenshot of Google’s search result for “New York Times”

 

DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is a search engine whose motto is “The search engine that doesn’t track you.” That’s a bold claim in the internet age, but they live up to it. They say that they don’t ever store any personal information or search history. As a result, they also don’t annoy you with ads every time you search for something. For those of you (like me) that enjoy using Google, DuckDuckGo has a very similar interface to Google. A simple search of New York Times gave me a similar look and results. Instead of predict what you search for, DuckDuckGo might give you a bevy of recent news stories relating to what you searched.

A screenshot of DuckDuckGo’s search results, which looks similar to Google.

Ixquick

Ixquick is basically a search engine that incorporates results from other search engines except Google and Yahoo. Ixquick does not sell any of your information to third parties because they do not collect any information to begin with. Many search engines collect your device’s IP address or use tracking cookies, but not Ixquick. The search results page certainly doesn’t look sexy, but there’s no doubt security is the top priority at Ixquick.

Front page of Ixquick.com

Startpage

Startpage (hyperlink) is run by the same company that runs Ixquick. The difference between the two websites is that Smartpage includes results from Google. Google sees searches coming from Startpage, but Google cannot track those searches to any specific person or IP address. Startpage is essentially a middleman between you and Google. Much like DuckDuckGo and Ixquit, they do not gather any IP addresses or cookies and do not sell any information to third parties.

Screenshot of Startpage’s search results

 

Conclusion

If you know what to look for and have a basic understanding of search engines, using an alternative search engine is just as simple as using Google. They aren’t as mainstream or popular, but nobody ever said not using Google isn’t “sexy enough.” If you truly value your privacy and safety, it’s wise to look into DuckDuckGo, Ixquick, and Startpage. Be careful what you share on the internet, because in all likelihood, someone is watching.

 

Works Cited

DuckDuckGo.com

Hoffman, Chris. “5 Alternative Search Engines That Respect Your Privacy.” HowTo Geek RSS. How-To Geek, n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.

Ixquick.com

Sentance, Rebecca. “Home.” Going over to the Duck Side a Week Using DuckDuckGo Comments. Search Engine Watch, 28 Apr. 2016. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

Startpage.com

White, Benjamin. “”3 Secure and Safe Search Engines You Need to Know About”.” Betternet. Betternet, 26 Dec. 2015. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.