Seth,

I follow Google closely, so this was a very interesting read for me. Two quick easy comments: there seems to be a "not" missing in "It knows that we do [___] want to feel like someone is standing over our shoulder." in the last paragraph of part 2, "A Higher Sense of Privacy." Also, you might consider hyperlinking to our data mining readings in the second paragraph of part 3, "The Loopholes," and adding some citation or link for the statement that Google has backups and that they never get deleted. Maybe just linking to the policy where you give permission to Google would cover the latter.

Substantively, your point about the top 10 most called bit as personally identifying is a good one. I also agree that the prospect of Google monetizing Google Voice via targeting ads based on phone calls is a formidable specter. I wonder if it really loses any punch, though, even if Google doesn't actually target ads in that way? I'm not sure it does (lose any punch, that is). And I think that it is important that it doesn't because Google seems to have a lot of projects that I don't believe it currently uses to tailor ad delivery (perhaps it does and I'm simply not remembering/aware), so there is some chance that it won't monetize Voice using ads based on call contents. Another idea, and one that perhaps seems more likely than Google actually using some sort of filter that grabs keywords from your phone calls and delivers ads relevant to them, is maybe Google would just look-up (via automated software) the numbers you call. Oh, you call Pizza Joe's on Fridays? Guess we'll target ads to you that afternoon of other pizza places. You call a Laundromat 5000 on every other Sunday? Well look at that, free coupons hit your email box on Friday when you're about to drop it off. And so on. That seems like a more likely form of tailored-ad than the Google-as-fulltime-listener one. That might be something good to note more if you can find space.

I have no other substantive comments. It looks good, reads well, and is an important and engaging topic. Nice work.

-- BrianS - 24 Nov 2009