Google is challenging the marketplace in mobile, social networking, OS development, browsing, office collaboration, and more. But the blood of Google remains in search, so it only makes sense for Google to experiment with progressing this technology further. This is one area they cannot afford to lag behind.

• All “private content” held by a service provider should be protected by the same standard as material on your laptop: a warrant must be obtained. Currently, the rules are murky and confusing; the government can go after server e-mail older than 180 days, for instance, with only a subpoena (no judge needed), while more recent e-mail needs a warrant.
• Warrants must be sought to access location information. Currently, says the CDT, GPS data is protected by warrant, but other data (such as that from cell phones) is not. Courts have been “all over the ballpark” on this issue.
• For “transactional” data (i.e., data that might include e-mail headers but not message content), the coalition says that a judge should be involved, though a warrant may not be needed.
• Subpoenas should only be used where government has a particular person whose data they seek; they shouldn’t be used for bulk requests on many subscribers at once without a court order. (Source)

Here is a video released to promote the campaign:

The news is a much needed boost for Google, who is seeing competition attacking from all sides. Security is likely to become a bigger issue as more of our personal lives get recorded and stored online. Google’s concentration on security may draw customers to both it’s browser and mobile software for the peace of mind. At the same competition, Apple’s iPhone was exploited in 20 sec. – allowing the hackers access to a full log of SMS messages, including those deleted.

It should be noted, however, that Chrome is relatively new and its security successes may largely be result of its relative unfamiliarity. The exploits on other browsers have largely relied on well-known existing vulnerabilities. It remains to be seen whether Chrome can maintain it’s secure status as it spreads throughout the market.

Google is the default home page for many users, but with Facebook’s livesearch integration, it is quickly becoming a popular ‘home’ for many internet users. Keep in mind that this comparison only looks at the Google.com page vs the Facebook.com page. This does not include any of Google’s other services such as Gmail, Calendar, Docs, etc.

Google has increasingly been trying to tap into Facebooks social networking market with the introduction of Orkut, Buzz, and Google Wave. However, so far all have been relative disappointments.

Imagine being able to follow a New York Times journalist directly from her byline, tweet about a video without leaving YouTube, and discover new Twitter accounts while visiting the Yahoo! home page—and that’s just the beginning.

This is twitter’s way to infiltrate more of the internet by offering a simple ‘copy and paste’ method of integration, similar to YouTube’s embed. Smart play, and could be a convenient way to get out your tweets as you surf the web. It will be interesting to see how much flexibility to platform offers.

• Internet disconnection without a judge or court examination
• Personal border searches
• The potential of increased border inspection and seizure to be used against legitimate products
• Three strikes policy
• Failure to include developing nations in negotiations

It is a pleasant surprise to see the EU taking a swipe at this secretive, closed-doors discussion about the future of our civil liberties. The potential for abuse in such a far-reaching piece of international legislation is tremendous, and it is an atrocity that the details of this legislation are being kept from public scrutiny. The last thing this struggling economy needs is more obstacles and greater intrusion. Perhaps before our good officials start intruding into each and every one of OUR lives, we should be permitted to have a little access to what these Upper Rats are doing. Seems like the spotlight is being pointed in the wrong direction.

Sadly, considering the incredible intrusion of civil liberties proposed, Canadian officials have merely shown concern over definitions and semantics. Barack Obama is looking forward to moving ahead with the legislation and has yet to show concern.

It is all too clear that our North American politicians have lost all touch with the realities of their people. Big business first, liberty second – a sad state of affairs.

Google recently announced plans to experiment with offering fiber optic high speed internet access with up to 1 Gbps. Similarly in Canada, Shaw Communications has stated that they too are working on bringing 1 Gbps download speeds to residential internet users.

What can you do with this kind of speed? Well, imagination is the boundary, but think of High Definition Video, gaming, video conferencing, and of course, porn. How about interactive teaching tools and access to the world’s information collection at your fingertips…

Here’s Google’s take:

“Is intended to rally everyone in support of a single Internet that is unrestricted and accessible to all. It is also meant to draw attention to the fact that, by creating new spaces for exchanging ideas and information, the Internet is a force for freedom. However, more and more governments have realised this and are reacting by trying to control the Internet.”

Today, the Netizen award ceremony was held and the prize was given to the Iranian website Change For Equality. This website brings attention to victims of sexual discrimination in Iran and aims to change existing discriminatory laws. Change For Equality is a champion of free speech and the rights of individuals. I hope you all take a moment tomorrow to consider the opportunities and tools that the internet has provided in promoting the free exchange of ideas. Let us not take it for granted. Keep the internet free and open.

If you’d like to do more for the cause of Online Free Speech and Anti-Censorship, consider supporting the organizations below:

• WikiLeaks.org – Releases censored materials not found in traditional media due to government censorship
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) – Defender of online rights and privacy
• Global Network Initiative – A collaborative approach to protect and advance freedom of expression and privacy
• Cryptome.org – Releases documents for publication that are prohibited by gov-coms worldwide, in particular material on freedom of expression, privacy, cryptology, dual-use technologies, national security, intelligence, and secret gov-com complicity

Of course, like the iPhone App Store, Google will screen all applications for approval and take a cut. It remains to be seen how open and accepting they are of applications.

The Good

• New Market to reach potential clients and bring attention to your services
• New revenue stream
• Integrate and make use of Google’s existing technology (Docs, Spreadsheets, Gmail, Calendar) in applications
• Google name recognition for applications

The Evil

• Looks like many of the apps are limited to Enterprise users. If you are used to making use of Google Apps Standard for your clients then many of the Apps will not be available
• $100 setup to get your App in the Marketplace
• Google takes 20% of your revenue sold on the Marketplace

Check out the release video from Google Campfire: