Google Desktop demons

Google Desktop 3 allows people to search for files on their computer. The latest version also lets you search several computers at once - such as your home computer and work laptop - but to do this, you have to let Google transfer your files to its servers.

Privacy groups are worried because the software allows Google to store this personal data on its servers for up 30 days. This means that users are essentially trusting Google with the contents of their personal computers. While Google's security is tight, it creates the prospect of someone being able to hack into your personal files.

Add to this the prospect of the US government trying to sneak a peak. The US Department of Justice is currently trying to force Google to hand over information about what people are searching for on the internet. The last thing most users want is the US government being able to pry into their hard disks as well.

In fairness to Google, it's so far making every effort to refuse the US government's demands. And the new "search across multiple computers" feature is optional, and switched off by default. In a statement on its website, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is urging consumers to keep it this way:

"Coming on the heels of serious consumer concern about government snooping into Google's search logs, it's shocking that Google expects its users to now trust it with the contents of their personal computers."

Google's own response is not particularly reassuring. While the company is keen to guarantee privacy, it knows that government challenges may prevent this. According to a spokeswoman quoted in CNET:

"For the files stored on Google servers we would of course comply with valid legal process, but we provide notice to users when a request for their data is made, unless we are prohibited from doing that."

Opposition among American users to Washington's interference is already high. But international users are likely to react with even more fury if a foreign government tries to pry into their private internet business.