... laptop forexample.But are these concerns grounded in truth? Is there really aprivacy issue here? I downloaded and installed the new Desktop Search beta the otherday. It has some interesting new features such as the ability toremove panels from the sidebar and dock them anywhere you likeon your desktop.And there are several more panels available to let you doanything from manage what is indexed, to passing time by playinggames.One of the coolest features is its ability to rea...

...ch beyond thedesktop it is on to do a variety of things. Now, I can play tictac toe with co-workers, or even friends around the world.But the biggest, and most troubling update to some is theability to remotely index files, as well as share them usingGoogle servers to temporarily store the items.By turning this feature on you give Google the right to storeyour files for up to 30 days. Therein lies the crux of the issue- there seems to be no way around this 30 day requirement.All I have to say is 'so what?'So what if you have to give Google this ability? Google willencrypt the data so that no one else can access it. And even ifthere is some sort of DOJ subpoena requiring access to thesefiles I don't think it would stand up in court.This is because Google has set up a network whereby all yourGoogle activities are tied to one Google account. Yourpersonalized home page, gmail, google analytics, adwords andadsense accounts all share the same Google account. Therefore,it would be difficult for anyone to get a subpoena to reviewinformation pertaining to only part of that account.Legalities aside, if you are that concerned about the privacybeing surrendered to Google in order to use this system thendon't sign up for it.You can still download and use the new Desktop Search with mostof its new features, but you don't have to use the file sharing.But what if you want to share files between computers?Well, do what I did - go to your favorite electronics store andbuy a flash drive. I just bought a USB flash drive with over 2gigs of storage for under $100. Now I can easily transferanything between any computer with no worry of some governmentagency wanting to know what's on it.As I said, I do have the new Google Desktop installed, and I didlook at the settings for the search and file sharing, but Ididn't turn them on. I have no need to be able to search my homecomputer from work and vice versa, nor do I need to share filesbetween the two computers.And if I did, I'll simply use the FTP site I have set up on acomputer at home or the aforementioned flash drive.Really, when it comes to all the other ways that Google capturesyour personal data, from search history to Gmail, should we beall that concerned that some files may end up being stored on aGoogle server somewhere?I think we should have other concerns. For example, I think weshould be concerned about what Google already knows about us viathose services I mentioned earlier.I think business owners should be concerned that such a servicewould allow employees to easily steal and transfer data to andfrom work.I think if you are that scared of the US government infringingon your privacy then you shouldn't have a Google account, norGoogle Desktop Search nor a Gmail account. In fact I don't thinkyou should have any Internet accounts because quite honestlyeveryone is a target for the DOJ. Further, I can almostguarantee you that your local ISP will fold and hand over thedata much easier than Google will.So before you start complaining about how Google could infringeyour privacy, remember that YOU have the ability to stop it fromhappening. It's just a matter of choosing to do so.