Google’s edging into the social networking space, with plans afoot to launch its own service, Google Me, a renewed focus on instant search to rival Twitter, and now it seems CEO Eric Schmidt has plans to plunder your data direct from Facebook pages.
Speaking at the Google Zeitgeist conference, Schmidt explained that Google can return better search results once it knows about your social circle, interests and connections.
“We’re trying to take Google’s core products and add a social component. If you think about it, it’s obvious,” he said. “With your permission, knowing more about who your friends are, we can provide more tailored recommendations. Search quality can get better,” reports CNN.
The kicker though, is how Schmidt proposes to access your information. “The best thing that would happen is for Facebook to open up its data,” he said. Then, rather more sinisterly: “Failing that, there are other ways to get that information.”
Could Google be working on a way to aggregate all your Facebook data to better serve search results (and, naturally, advertising) even if you don’t opt in? Is Schmidt about to hoover up every bit of info you’ve left unprotected, and sell it to the highest bidder? Answers, speculation and conspiracy theories in the comments section below, if you please.
