Freaky Frugalite

OK, so maybe Google doesn’t exactly OWN you if you download their new browser, Chrome. But get this, taken from their terms of service if you download the browser:

“By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any content which you submit, post or display on or through, the services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the services and may be revoked for certain services as defined in the additional terms of those services.”

This is what C|Net News writer Ina Freid, had to say about that:

Although you retain any copyrights to content you own and use in the browser, Google says it has a right to display some of your content, in conjunction with promoting its services.

That’s really over the top. So if you write in your blog, upload your Photoshop scrapbook images, or upload movies, you are essentially giving Google the free rein to use, reproduce, ADAPT, MODIFY, and DISTRIBUTE your creations to promote “the services”? For free??

I use Flickr free account, and I know that they can redistribute my photos that I upload, to a certain degree. But I am still in control of that somewhat- I can choose what not to upload, and what size to upload, and etc. And Flickr has that nice little “Creative Commons” license thing going. Google here is basically saying that ANYTHING you do in their browser gives them the right to modify it and use it, for free, for forever. And another thing: how do they know what you’re doing in the browser?

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