The Onion (opens in new tab), the satirical newspaper, has an on-the-mark article today that makes you realize why people are concerned about the amount of information Internet giant Google gathers about consumers.
The article purports to be a news story describing a Google apology for abusing consumers privacy[Related: Mobile Application Privacy …][Related: Consumer Privacy Bill of Ri…][Related: Privacy Policy][Related: Mobile Application Privacy …][Related: Consumer Privacy Bill of Ri…][Related: Privacy Policy], or as the Onion says in the headline, "Google Responds To Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific Apology."
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Here’s an except:
"MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA—Responding to recent public outcries over its handling of private data, search giant Google offered a wide-ranging and eerily well-informed apology to its millions of users Monday.
"We would like to extend our deepest apologies to each and every one of you," announced CEO Eric Schmidt, speaking from the company’s Googleplex headquarters. "Clearly there have been some privacy concerns as of late, and judging by some of the search terms we’ve seen, along with the tens of thousands of personal e-mail exchanges and Google Chat conversations we’ve carefully examined, it looks as though it might be a while before we regain your trust."
Google expressed regret to some of its third-generation Irish-American users on Smithwood between Barlow and Lake.
Added Schmidt, "Whether you’re Michael Paulson who lives at 3425 Longview Terrace and makes $86,400 a year, or Jessica Goldblatt from Lynnwood, WA, who already has well-established trust issues, we at Google would just like to say how very, truly sorry we are…"
I laughed all the way to end. Then I paused and thought that this really isn’t that much of a stretch from what Google is really capable of doing. It’s the Googleborg (opens in new tab) and resistance is futile.
