The End of the End of Forgetting?

This last Fifth of November may have been the most historic Fifth of November since 1605, if not more historic.  Or rather, de-historic might be more accurate.  Google just announced that users would be able to easily access and manage the stored user data that Google has on file for each and every service tied to a user’s account, conveniently organized at Google Dashboard.  If Google isn’t just storing the data elsewhere (or insufficiently anonymizing it, as I suspect the case may be), this is a HUGE leap forward for privacy.  Here’s hoping the data can go out with a bang.

In case you don’t see the problem with tons of stored data on you, just think about what a vindictive prosecutor, vengeful rival, or even a vindictive friend might do if they had access to every single thing you’ve ever typed into Google’s search box.