Google Desktop, unlike online Google searching (www.google.com), is a
desktop search application that provides full text search over various
file formats on your computer.

The most recent version of Google Desktop contains a new feature called
"Search Across Computers."  This feature is considered dangerous by
Information Security as it poses several privacy and confidentiality
concerns.  Unless the feature is configured very carefully Google will
have complete and self-sustaining copies of such items as tax returns,
business correspondence, academic papers, other financial information and
whatever other text-based documents you may have that the product can
index. These copies of documents then become the property of Google and
therefore can be subject to scrutiny by a third party.

To mitigate any risk of such an exposure of personal or confidential
information on your computer, CNS Information Security strongly encourages
for systems using Google Desktop that the "Search across desktops" feature
not be activated.


Questions or concerns about this note, should be directed to
the CNS Helpdesk in the Computing Commons, William Small Centre,
(voice: 416-736-5800, email: [log in to unmask]).


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