With Google's new Gmail sparking concern among privacy advocates, a new search utility has entered beta testing. Sifting and cataloging public text on the web was only the beginning for Google who quickly moved to searchable images, news, newsgroups, and shopping. critics vocal of Gmail's potential for invading private information are in a frenzy over Decroogle, a search utility promising to read, save, and allow searches of otherwise encrypted data.
Jim Hermann, technology editor for CNN points out that "Encrypted data is encrypted for a reason. It's not supposed to be searchable. What we're talking about here is taking people's private emails, credit card numbers and even passwords, and making them publicly accessible. It takes any security the web had and throws it out the window."
Gmail was ostensibly launched to curb the search threat posed by the forthcoming Microsoft Longhorn operating system, which boasts the ability to allow users to search not only the net but their own computer for documents and e-mail containing the desired terms. Gmail allows users a similar ability to search the web as well as an entire gig of past and present e-mail with the distinct advantage of it not being a microsoft product.
As Google representative Hank Santos explains, "think of the search results you could find by throwing your own email information in the mix. Privacy is a myth anyhow, and Decroogle takes it one step further. With Decroogle you'll be able to search other people's email too."
Jerry Mavos of San Ramone, California has been beta testing the new system for a week. "It's really amazing," says Mavos, "I search my own name on Google about once a week but have never found anything. Now, with Decroogle I found emails from my wife to her boyfriend in her hotmail account. What a relief to have that information."
Jake Stevenson is another beta tester excited about the benefits of Decroogle. "I forgot the password to my PayPal account and with Decroogle I found it in seconds and had immediate access to my money. It's a good thing too because I have thousands of dollars in there."
The ACLU has taken Google's side pointing out that encrypted web pages are never registered for copyright protection, and that displaying them is within Google's right to free speech. The ACLU further points out that "this isn't the dumbest thing we've done."
Legal action is already underway to force Decroogle offline but until a verdict can be finalized consumers are advised to take additional precautions online.
