Google Voice may be free, but it comes at a high cost – Your Privacy.
Earlier this summer, Google announced that residents of the USA can now make phone calls to anyone within North America for free. For only a couple of cents more, we can even make calls overseas – unfortunately, the offer is only good if you live in the United States. But don’t be upset if you live in India, the UK, or wherever else…because there’s a darker side to this seemingly great VOIP offering.
Google just might be listening to your Google Voice phone calls.
Let’s review a Google Patent for more information: Publication number: US 2008/0109222 A1
First, let’s review this mysterious technology and how it might work:
Great! It works on land lines too!
Well, the only comforting bit of information in that was that it’s all done automatically. Now I feel better. But don’t they already intrude in our private actions enough already? Search history, Gmail, why do they need to listen to our phone calls too? Here’s their reply:
When they talk like this, it really bugs me.
Ohhhh, so they just want to be able to extract information from us without our knowledge. Sounds completely non-evil to me so far, especially when they say it’s going to better our lives! Gosh- Thanks, Google!
But honestly, how is this feature supposed to help us – the end user?
It's not a FEATURE, but a BENEFIT!
Well, sign me up! I’m sold!
Disclaimer: Do I have any PROOF they’re doing this currently? Nope. Do I have a patent from Google that says they might do this, dated back in 2006? Yep.
Have you read the privacy information on Google Voice? Just in case you haven’t, I’ll drop in a couple of helpful snippets for you.
Google Voice stores, processes and maintains your call history, voicemail greeting(s), voicemail messages, Short Message Service (SMS) messages, recorded conversations, and other data related to your account in order to provide the service to you.
Google may send you information related to your Google Voice account or other Google services (like adwords, maybe?-comment mine).
Google’s computers process the information in your messages for various purposes, including formatting and displaying the information to you, playing you your messages, backing up your messages, and other purposes (ads? – comment mine) relating to offering you Google Voice.
And from Google’s terms of service regarding the user license agreement:
You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.
11.3 You understand that Google, in performing the required technical steps to provide the Services to our users, may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this license shall permit Google to take these actions.
11.4 You confirm and warrant to Google that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the above license.
…..
17.3 In consideration for Google granting you access to and use of the Services, you agree that Google may place such advertising on the Services.
1 Some of the Services are supported by advertising revenue and may display advertisements and promotions. These advertisements may be targeted to the content of information stored on the Services, queries made through the Services or other information.17.2 The manner, mode and extent of advertising by Google on the Services are subject to change without specific notice to you.
Of course there’s an Infographic!
I know this is a lot to absorb, but for those of you who are visual learners, I also included this little gem of an Infographic to demonstrate one possible scenario.
You can click the image for the mega awesome version.
As always, feel free to tell me I’m a complete whack job. Just don’t call me on Google Voice to do it.
Here’s another scenario. You’re on your Google-phone to your mother. She tells you she’s just been diagnosed with cancer, but she’s very optimistic about her chances. Google processes all this and sends your mother ads about updating her will and you ads for funeral services.
Is it even legal? I doubt a telephone company could intercept and process your calls like that without a court order. How come Google are allowed to do it? The fact I’m using the internet and a computer should be irrelevant. I don’t recall that wire tapping laws only apply if your call runs over copper wire or uses particular types of handsets.
Oh come on now, Brandt. Why worry about the legality of it when it’s free? This is Google we’re talking about – they would NEVER do anything to invade their user’s privacy.
Of course you’ll need to forget about the recent Buzz email fiasco, the Google street view car ‘accidentally’ saving personal data from people’s home wireless connections, personalizing ads based on your gmail content, etc….