Google’s online ads have been targeting individuals since 2003. The ads’ messages are based on specific Google searches, the contents of the particular web-site viewed by the individual, as well as geographical location. In an effort to make their ads more relevant, Google has launched a beta version of “interest-based” advertising, anew spurring privacy concerns in its wake.

In 1998, Google’s search engine—then still in beta—answered 10,000 queries daily. Today, less than ten years later, that is their number of employees. Google’s services, which include the worlds biggest search engine, a blog platform, an RSS feed reader, an e-mail service, an entire web-based office suite and numerous other applications, are being used by millions every day. “The innocuous and ubiquitous web search box presents a significant and increasing risk to individuals and organizations” (2, p. 1), and every time these services are used, more information is gathered, organised and stored. We provide Google with a “progressively clearer picture of our personal and professional lives, the lives of our associates and the health, stratagems and structure of our private and public organizations” (2, p.1). The costs of high capacity storage has decreased drastically, which makes it possible for service providers such as Google to store huge amounts of data for a long period of time. Does Google represent a very real privacy threat?