Google (bot)

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MysticEast
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Google (bot)

Post by MysticEast »

Hi,
I just noticed a new thing here. I was listed as one of only two users on the Forum. The other was "Google (bot)".

Please can I just say that I very strongly object to the presence of a spying bot, analysing all our posts!!!

This "user" should not be allowed!

I suppose that if you terminated the said "user" account that they could merely open a new account under a fictitious name...
Perhaps there is some benefit in making the real users of this forum AWARE that they are being openly spied upon as they browse and post?

Just, I felt that it is the right thing to do to protest at this Most Strongly!

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MysticEast
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Re: Google (bot)

Post by Programmer »

It's a feature of this phpBB forum software that it comes with some read only accounts for the major search engines already set up. The idea is not meant to be sinister, it just means that the contents of the forum gets indexed and rated the same as any other web page so that it can appear in search results. So if someone searches on "Orphalese Tarot Personalized Spread" or whatever they might have relevant pages from this forum come up in the search results. Said bots don't have any access beyond basic read only access to the forums, so they couldn't discover anymore about the identity of people who post than it is revealed by their nickname on the forum. If they didn't have this basic access they could only ever see the registration page which they would never get beyond. I think most people probably realize that if they use the same pseudonyms on different websites and different forums there is a risk of a web search being able to discover that it is the same person. I don't think allowing search engines to analyze the actual content of posts should be problematic. What exactly is the possible outcome that you are worrying about here?
MysticEast
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Re: Google (bot)

Post by MysticEast »

Hi Richard,
I'm just a bit sensitive about security at the moment.

I've always been concerned about both securty and privacy, but recent disclosures about Facebook, Yahoo etc have made me a bit paranoid I suppose...
I discovered exactly how much they collect and save on each indovidual - Basically EVERYTHING is read, analysed and stored...
My e-mail provider said that if I wished to download all the information that they held I should expect it to amount to several Terabites - ie whole Hard Disk Fulls of Data - wrapped into an archive which will probably never complete downloading?
They even keep all e-mails, those you''ve received. sent and those you've deleted. That and every scrap of browsing data that they can scrounge...

I've never been too worried about the Secret Services having access to prevent terrorism - cos I'm no terrorist!
However we all know that the Secret Services HAVE used these powers wrongly. I just think penalties for this should be extremely severe to try to prevent such abuse!
But for ADVERTISERS to be able to read and store all of my e-mails - this I find offensive and unacceptable!
I'm in the process of closing down my e-mail account with such criminal infringers of my privacy! It will take a while...
The amazing thing is that anyone ever thought that this was in any way acceptable! That there is no law against it!

The same goes for Google's Read only access here. Read only access is all that they need to store, and analyse everything that is written here!
Do I trust that they are only using it to "help us users" by providing better searches for information. No way Jose! All such information is routinely sold to the highest bidder!

I felt the same way about the British Government selling all my Health Data to third parties. Heavens above is nothing now sacrosanct?

This doesn't resolve the problem - cos I know that you can't stop them! It's just that I've got to say (to them) "I Object!". If we all say we object a million times a day and do what we can to protect our privacy then perhaps... (Pie in the Sky?)

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Re: Google (bot)

Post by Programmer »

Hey I just noticed you made this every eloquent post back in the summer and for some reason it was stuck in an approval queue. No idea why and I am sorry it has taken so long to appear on the forum.
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