[ILUG] Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

[Kevin Lyda]

Uh...  What?

Now I work for Google, but I have nothing to do with Analytics nor do
I know much about it as I'm not a web designer or webmaster.  However
from what I do know it's used to track how a website is performing and
how it's being used.  This includes how users interact with ads -
hence Google's interest in it I assume.  However it is also used to
make websites easier to use for users and perform better for them -
again this would be in Google's enlightened self-interest as an easier
to use and faster web is an easier to sell advertising on web.

Of course as a user that's in my self-interest as well.

So what we have here is part of the public service using tools to make
their web sites easier to use, faster and better understand what their
users want.  Well gosh, that's just terrible.  I can see the concerns.

And the claims in the article are absolutely over the top: "so the
Gardaí are asking Google to track every movement of their visitors"
Er, no.  On their website, sure.  But not *every* movement.  And much
of the data is provided in aggregate.  If they use the tool right from
what I understand they can answer questions like "lots of users click
this link here instead of this other link - maybe you should put the
navigation bar near the link they click."  Or, "the site has the least
number of users on Tuesdays at 3am - maybe you should schedule backups
then."

Yes, terrible.  Can't have that.

There are things to be worried about in the world.  This would not
seem to even be on the list.  Heck, I'd want to ask are they actually
*using* the data they're getting?  Are they building a user friendly
culture and trying to better understand how to better serve the public
- first on their website and then perhaps in person.

Kevin

On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 01:02, Niall Walsh <niallwalsh at users.berlios.de> wrote:
> Nice little piece spotted at http://paste.debian.net/plain/99996/
>
> While double checking that ILUG wasn't at the same game I noticed it does want
> to run javascript from twitter now on the homepage.
>
> More ironically (should that be moronically) the "Irish Council for Civil
> Liberties" can be added to the list.
>
> I didn't include the full contents for fear of making random recipients on the
> list break the license. A copy of the license is included below so you can
> figure out if you can access it.
>
> Niall
>
> "N©!2010
>
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-- 
Kevin Lyda
Dublin, Ireland
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