[Sigia-l] RE: Google desktop search now available

[Russ Unger]

> I am somewhat suspicious of Google products (also).  A while 
> ago, I downloaded the Google Toolbar, for instance, and not 
> too soon, my computer was a haven for spyware and adware.  I 
> would not feel too comfortable to see that this company's 
> product is mining my computer...  you may always restore 
> your computer from scratch.

I am somewhat suspicious of the above paragraph, particularly:

> A while 
> ago, I downloaded the Google Toolbar, for instance, and not 
> too soon, my computer was a haven for spyware and adware.

That's somewhat of a loaded sentence and lacks any of the other
circumstances that may have been in play to cause this "haven" for
spyware and adware to occur.

Did you check the settings when you installed it to see what your
options were or read the EULA at all?  You've mentioned you're a
"techno-skeptic", so I am assuming that you would do that and you would
read what was potentially going to take place once you installed the
Google toolbar.

Is that the case?  Personally, I've installed the toolbar on many, many
machines without issue, and I stay away from other programs that are at
least a little known in my peer group as "spyware" or "adware"
programs--which could be a multitude of p2p programs, etc.  My employer
is pretty restrictive on such types of software and there are no
limitations for installing the Google Toolbar, for example.

I feel it's somewhat harsh to point blame at a single point/program
without supplying any additional supporting background or studying what
else could be the cause--it's certainly okay to ask the question and
speculate as to what the blame could be and whether or not an action
could trigger another action to occur.  

I think you've made a pretty direct claim and you've not supplied
anything of substance to back it up, and while your intentions may have
been otherwise, you've identified yourself as someone who takes special
care around the technologies you've installed.  

Additionally, if you will see below, I've pasted--direct from Google
Toolbar's FAQs, their response to redirected searches.

==FAQ INFO==

Why do I have an extra toolbar or redirected search results? 
This behavior is commonly associated with malicious software that may be
installed on your computer - this software is often bundled with other
free downloads without your knowledge. Once this software is installed
on your computer, it can trigger pop-up advertisements, redirect you to
unwanted websites, or even alter the appearance and function of the
Google website on your computer. 

Please be assured that this program is not in any way affiliated with
the Google Toolbar, and no third-party software is installed on your
machine when you download the Google Toolbar. 

If you're interested in learning more about computer applications that
embed themselves into your computer without your knowledge (often called
'adware' or 'spyware'), we suggest reading the following articles:

http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/ 
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html 
If you think that you have an unwanted application installed on your
computer, you'll most likely want to remove the application. You can
visit the links above for information on a number of known parasitic
programs, including suggestions on how to remove them.

Alternatively, you can download software to detect and remove malicious
applications from your computer. We've suggested some well known
applications below. These programs can remove the most common malicious
applications, though our users report that you may need to try more than
one and having the latest versions is important. Please note that Google
has no connection with these companies and can't comment on their
effectiveness. 

CWShredder: http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/cwshredder.zip 
Spybot Search and Destroy:
http://security.kolla.de/index.php?lang=en&page;=download 
Ad-aware: http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/ 
Finally, if you feel you were deceived when you installed a program that
creates popups or modifies your browser, you may want to file a
complaint. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handles complaints about
deceptive or unfair business practices. 

To file a complaint, visit https://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.htm, call
1-877-FTC-HELP, or write to:

Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
Washington, D.C.
20580 

If your complaint is against a company in a country other than the
United States, please file your complaint at http://www.econsumer.gov/ 

We too are frustrated by the prevalence of this harmful software and are
actively investigating ways to protect our users.