Entrepreneurial brainstorming session N.11: an Economic Warfare defensive tool altering Google search results reliability
It’s no secret since even top folks at Mountain View, where Google is headquartered, claim the list to actually exist. What is that list?
Basically, tracking IP network addresses, it is possible for any search engine to know exactly which search requests come from where and probably from whom.
For instance, say Google decides to look for all search requests of a robotics lab in Japan, it is feasible and has already been done.
Consequently, Google is an incredible intelligence warfare tool: thanks to Google, government agencies (Interpol, NSA, etc.) may not only track research going on in terror or mafia labs (e.g. cryptology), but if extracted and analized thoroughly, Google may provide any company’s competitor with the exact keywords and hence hot research topics discussed in a lab. Despite what people start thinking about Google, I don’t think Google represents any “Big Brother” threat. On the contrary, I believe Google actually democratizes information a great deal rather than controlling its flows. Furthermore, considering the huge potential the search business still sits on, there is room for competitors in semantic search, image search, video search, etc. So I guess Google is right not to take anything for granted and keeping attracting top talents.
Well, teasing’s over now. Here’s the business idea. Say you’re an R&D lab. The idea actually relies in a software or router-embedded software aiming at bombing fake search requests to Google in order to actually des- or mis-inform the search engine on your current research topics. The system would be clever enough to select relevant and changing keywords, and mixing it with the usual crap such as googling the nearest sushi bar or your boss’s name. Well thought, designed and hacked, such a software could easily be sold for huge amounts of money to, for instance, Embassies or Defence companies outside the US.
So, to recapitulate: the idea is a software that lowers the efficiency of economic warfare search requests analyses through actively simulating fake but still R&D-wise relevant search requests to Google.
Got it?
As usual, feedbacks most welcome.
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Jeremy, what can I say except that it’s a terrible idea (shh), it stinks (call), it will never (me on) work (my mobile), and (and) you should (we will) be arrested (build) for it (it).
Btw, you(C)-know(I)-who(A) has probably blacklisted your weblog now.
Bruce Schneier touched on this topic back in AOL’s little search history mess. What it came down to was that the “sensitive” searches are still there and anyone with a sophisticated data mining capabilities will be able to pick them up.
Why not just proxy all public internet traffic through few http gateways so that traffic seems to originate from them? Or use something like http://www.blackboxsearch.com/ ?
We’re talking about intelligence agencies with vast resources and expertise. Surely they have many other ways to get your secret R&D stuff than just Google.
For the paranoids at home, there is even a Firefox add-on which periodically fills Google with bogus searches, TrackMeNot.
And anyway, your solution would probably only attract more attention to research lab than their normal search patterns would have. Unless everyone else bombs Google, that is.
Hey Kari & Vince,
Vince> Excellent!
I don’t think I’m saying anything wrong about Google, on the contrary: its technologies are impressive and powerful and although I’m certain they don’t sell search analyses, they might HAVE TO give these away if asked for by the US government.
Kari> One your first sentence: true, but the software would basically know how datamining works to alter it. That’s precisely the whole business idea behind the story.
Moreover, even if you proxy internet traffic of an entire company, a good datamining software as you said will still be able to track down sensitive issues and isolate the strategic stuff for a competitive purpose.
Intelligence agencies had many ways to get your secret R&D stuff (and the CIA has Echelon, which apparently works perfectly), and they sure still do; but search engines and Google is a new canal noboday can neglect.
Great link to blackboxsearch, interesting, and I didn’t know TrackMeNot so thank you.
Wanted to react on Google being a potential Small Brother to Big Brother.
I believe that in order for the Evil American Empire to use Google tracking system, they would need to cooperate with engineers within the company. The problem of the world where we live is that people talk; when two people know something, everybody knows. This is why conspiracy theories are senseless. People have different and changing allegiances which results in secrets being known after a while by the public.
Now, just imagine what would happen if it was announced by an ex-insider of Google that Google is cooperating with the U.S. Governement, even for reasons of National Security. Independent investigations would immediately be launched following complaints by human rights associations, with (i) enormous liability and (ii) criminal penalties for the officers. The mess which would result from such a move would divide the company’s market capitalisation twofold, threefold… because in the end, nobody cares about the public; but those who care are the companies which do advertising on google, they have to worry, because a company which cooperates (illegally) with the governement could also cooperate with competitors, sell information. Corporate responsibility and healthy management – these are two key words in this affair.
Alex, beware of the Evil American Empire.
Alex> I strongly disagree with your comment.
Google has already aknowledged US Governmental Agencies visited Mountain View quite often for a National Security purpose. There’s no way a company, be it in the US or in Europe, can refuse to grant access to a secret service. This sort of behaviour would be treated as a quasi-betrayal.
When it comes to competitors buying search info from Google: this is SO unlikely. Google would never do such a thing or nobody would use Google as their search engine anymore. Furthermore, the company is acting in a very ethical way as far as I my eyes can see. Google is secretive on what goes on and the data it processes, and I believe this is the best attitude to face criticism and “Big Brother” allegations. As I already said, I believe Google is everything but a “Big Brother” machine since it makes information available to all.
Well, i didnt know that Sercret Service was visiting Google we definitely dont know the extent of what they are doing there. This is probably the reason why it doesnt create a panic.
as for the fact that you dont agree with me, especially when you do so “strongly”, i just dont understand in your comment on what point you disagree.
Hey Al,
I disagree with your stance saying that engineers at Google have access to data, some do for sure, but you couldn’t count more than a handful.
I also disagree with your mention of cooperation with Federal authorities would lead to a judiciary scandal and public fuss since that already happens; basically any company on the US territory would be bound to grant access to National Security authorities, that is common sense (especially since 9/11) and the same goes for France I guess.
Thirdly, I can’t see why a company cooperating with the government would also cooperate with competitors: the reputation damage risk would be too high.
However, I completely agree on your two key-words: corporate responsibility and healthy management. I believe Google respects these 2 keywords very well given the growing sensitiveness of the Search industry. A counter-example: AOL which two months ago released the data track-record of many of its customers. That was really a shame: corporate irresponsibility, lack of risk management probably due to bad general management.