What was Once Private is Now Under Google's Domain

[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Search engine companies and other Internet firms are amassing unprecedented amounts of very personal information about every one of us. If the information were revealed -- whether by government order, inadvertent exposure, malicious hackers or deliberate misuse by the companies that collected it -- we would be digitally naked in the public eye. We should demand from the government far better legal protections for personal information that is held by third parties. And we should demand four things from the Internet firms that we do business with: That they collect and store as little personal information as possible, tell us what information they collect, allow us to choose not to have our search histories recorded and be better guardians of the information we entrust in them. The Internet affords us many freedoms. But living in fear that anything we do online could be exposed some day would be a bit like living under the ever-watchful eye of Big Brother.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/13802957.htm