Dear NIK, must we trust Google?

[Jan W. Tromp]

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As many others I received the to me disturbing mail to agree that all my personal info would be transferred to Google by NIK Software. I love the software of that company and now they sold it all to Google. What will google do with it? Is it another copycat action of Apple? I don't know but I wrote them a mail that I will not agree which means I will stop using NIK software completely. I've bought the Perfect Photo Suite 7 to try and am looking further into this. I now have Photomatix for HDR etc etc.

 

What do you think?

[jaapv]

Well, what personal information do they have from you? Is it sensitive? When registering a product I will always give a minimum of information and if I do not feel like giving out certain data, I am not above providing fake ones if they insist on the field being filled out.

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[Jan W. Tromp]

Hi Jaap,

 

To me its with Google as with Samsung. I will not buy a photo camera from a manufacturer of washing machines. I did not give the info to show them that I don't agree with the money making action. I don't trust Google very much:-) Why start with asking my info? I expect Google to use it for other things.

[jaapv]

It won't help them much - as far as Nik is concerned I live in Brasil.

[k-hawinkler]

It won't help them much - as far as Nik is concerned I live in Brasil.

 

 

But your IP address tells them otherwise, no?

[jaapv]

No. VPN used a proxy server in Brasil And I used HMA email address. I registered not long ago, when the NIK-Google connection was rumoured already, so I took privacy-protecting measures.

Edited December 18, 2012 by jaapv

[Jan W. Tromp]

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Smart!

[250swb]

To me its with Google as with Samsung. I will not buy a photo camera from a manufacturer of washing machines.

 

Sensible action in an ever diverse world of manufacturing. I stopped using my Leica M9 after discovering Jenoptik, the makers of traffic lights and speed guns, were involved in designing the firmware for it. And don't mention Porsche.............

 

But what are Nik to do, if Google own the company Google need to know where their revenue is coming from so they can invest in new products or advertising. The user base is the fundamental resource that any company relies on for this information, although I'm sure they will be scratching their heads when the big new ad campaign in Brazil falls flat on its face.........

 

Steve

[jaapv]

:D. Privacy protection should be on everybody's mind on the Internet. I find it worrying, for instance, that anti-tracking software is not considered as essential as anti-virus software is.

 

 

I don't think Jenoptik is a particularly lucky example, given their inability to provide bug-free firmware for the M9...

Edited December 20, 2012 by jaapv

[250swb]

I fully agree, anti-tracking software is getting to be essential. But it is a long stretch to think that Google will be snooping on your landscape photography through Nik, then focusing on your search for a new doorknob, and conclude that what you are really looking for is a new house in the country.

 

Steve

[pop]

I don't think Jenoptik is a particularly lucky example, given their inability to provide bug-free firmware for the M9...

 

I think you should cut them some slack; there's no such thing as a bug-free software. Even if the writing of software ought not to be rocket-science, software has been known to bring down rockets.

 

On the other hand, the same argument applies to makers of other software such as Google and the makers of anti-malware software.

[jaapv]

Sure, but the present M9 bug is rather annoying and quite major as it restricts the use of the camera. There should have been something done about it by now. In fact it should have been eliminated during beta testing imo.

Edited December 22, 2012 by jaapv