Microsoft's web privacy push: 'We're the anti-Google' Signs are emerging that Microsoft has realized it can exploit concerns over what Google does with information involving where you've surfed and what you've searched for. Microsoft has apparently pledged that it won't index users' information in its web-based email service, Hotmail, to serve tailored ads - unlike Google with …
Good one. :)
And more true than generally imagined. From China to the EU and everywhere in between no Government has a Policy that their citizens' actions are subject to monitoring by Commercial Interests. At very least they think that is their job - which is another problem all together. Unless you irritate them, Governments have been keeping your private stuff private for centuries.
Of course if you were Google, its Antecedents, or just had a Web 2.0 wailing cat on your head, it might not have ever occurred to you that other people are not for sale just because they might buy things.
"Microsoft's CEO had claimed Microsoft produced little ad revenue of Hotmail, a problem shared by Google with Gmail."
Great, so now they admit it doesn't make them a lot of money, how about turning ads off altogether?
Also...
"This is enshrined in policy across all our online services,"
Translated: - "Every MSN-based site or portal you visit will be chock full of ads for crap no-one wants".
Evil Bill for this, even though he's probably got nothing to do with it. Where's the Ballmer icons?
If they're all for privacy, perhaps the next round of security updates will terminate all processes that "phone home" - I once saw a figure of 22 *known* processes that "phoned home" in Vista a while ago, I wonder how many more do.
As part of this privacy push, they should ditch WGA too !
I think that MS would contribute a lot more to our privacy if they actualy managed to produce a secure OS. Even the latest and greatest (*cough*) needs the crutch of anti-virus to be Internet ready, and we're 2010 now. There are *NO* excuses for that.
Let's start with cleaning up the root of the problem: gazillions of compromised systems supporting a complete second economy of crime by copying bank details, trafficking porn, spam and malware and supporting DDoS blackmail campaigns. Even Google can't break privacy to that scale.
"Microsoft has apparently pledged that it won't index users' information in its web-based email servuce, Hotmail, to serve tailored ads - unlike Google with Gmail."
They may not index your mail like the evil G, but will they continue to spam your contacts with those godawful advertisments that are injected into every email you send?
Where is the evil Ballmer icon?
Hotmail is, as they say, held to a much higher standard though if you want more certainty check out ISPs like Apps4Rent.com who offer hosted Exchange ... it'll cost you a bit but no adverts and proper enterprise level capabilities (we actually use it for our family to share calendars, contacts etc)
Isn't competition a useful thing!
An intelligent move from Microsoft
I stopped using Google Chrome and moved back to IE8 (IE8 is a decent browser even more so when sandboxed, I don't care about the chuntering of fanbois), simply because the idea of all my searches and history and whatever else being sent back to Google creeped me out and made me ever so slightly uneasy when using the browser, I'm sure I'm not alone in that respect.
Then Google photographed everyone's houses, it's all a bit too much.
I used to like Google, now I'm not so sure. I'm getting the impression that Google's original good intentions are on the verge of becoming blurred.
It's also apparent that from now on, if you want privacy on the net, you'd better be prepared to pay for it, so if it helps to pay for my privacy by choosing to click a few ads every now and then, I'll do it.
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