OK, not yet.

This isn’t news I’m sure to lots of people … but with every release and new announcement, it’s clear that Google is trying to get access to every piece of information about you — everything you do, from the web pages you see, e-mails, documents (think Open Office), your wireless connection….

The latest is the new Google Desktop. In an annoucement on a Google blog yesterday:

Fans of Google Maps will want to check out Sidebar's new maps panel, which lets you do all the usual cool maps stuff -- local business info, directions, sightseeing -- plus a new one: finding new locations relevant to the web pages and emails you're reading and showing them in your maps panel.

Emphasis added. So, unless there’s something I’m missing, everything is essentially being transmitted back to Google so that these searches can be run. I’m sure it’s silent as well. Of course, it’s not everything (yet), but it’s enough that meaningful searches can be performed. What’s next, a keystroke logger? Every time you search for text in e-mails (maybe stored in Outlook for example), do you want Google to know about it? What if it’s related to your business or some corporate secret?

I’m not a privacy nut by any means, but this goes beyond my comfort level.  What about you? If you’re using g-mail for all of your e-mail, you’ve already given up your e-mail privacy. How much else are you willing to let Google have? Or any company? Is your personal information valuable? Does Google pay you enough in free services (such as their search engine) to provide them this data? Would you be willing to subscribe to a version of Google that guaranteed your privacy?