Be Careful with Google Desktop Search
Google Desktop Search like most Google products makes an awesome first impression. I have tried other desktop search tools, but none of them can match the convenience that Google Desktop Search comes with. It is just a 450K download and it integrates in Google Search itself. The crawler eats quiet some RAM but the result is totally worth it.
However, the beta version does not come with any privacy protection tools. It depends on how you manage your system. To make it simple at this moment, they have designed the software to work for one Windows account per machine. Therefore, other users will not be able to search the system from their login profiles.
Nevertheless, most users rarely care about their own system’s security. Multiple people use same user profiles and if you install a utility like Google Desktop Search on such a system, you turn on the possibility of providing them a very fast and convenient way to find matter on your system. Integration in Google Search results makes it even more of a security hazard. You leave your system open for 10 minutes, and that would be enough for anyone out there to find anything on your system! Emails, Browsing sessions and private documents. Everything is available at the click of a button.
So, if you want the convenience of using Google Desktop Search, make sure that you keep in mind that what you want and what you do not want others to find on your system! Restrict the folders with private documents from Google Desktop Search crawlers and lock your system the next time you go for that coffee.
Sushubh Mittal is the Tech Columnist at Search Engine Journal and also the publisher of TechWhack Technology and Software Journal
