[Hampshire] Google desktop services

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Author: Keith Edmunds
Date:  
To: hampshire
Subject: [Hampshire] Google desktop services
I've just been taking a look at Google Desktop for Linux. Nice that it's
available in a .deb; unfortunate (although possibly understandable) that
it is a binary .deb.

More worrying is their licence agreement, which includes in part:

"11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in
Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By
submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual,
irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to
reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly
display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or
through, the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling
Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked
for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services."

Notice the "...or display on or through". So if you use the desktop search
facility to find a) a commercial contract b) an email confessing some
sexual deviancy or c) a salary review for an employee, Google are allowed
to "publish...[and] publicly display" that information for publicity
purposes if they wish. I don't even want them to be able to access content
on my PC so I won't be installing this.

"Do no evil"? Maybe not, but they're legally allowed to if they change
their mind.