Google first made many security analysts very concerned with the release of Google Desktop Search (now called Google Desktop) in October of last year. The first version allowed for access to many secure files and even provided access to password protected websites and intranet sites.

With the release of Google Desktop 2, Google has answered many of these initial questions, and ones that remained open after the release of Google Desktop Enterprise in May. However, some security analysts are still leery about the new search software.

This latest version no longer indexes password protected files and will not view files in other users’ directories, but it is one of the new feature suites that is causing some concern. This new version adds a Sidebar that searches the internet for information (email, news, weather, photos, stocks, Atom feeds) and displays them to the user based on their web browsing history.

In an in-depth article by eWeek on the subject, Nikhio Bhatla, product manager for Google Desktop is quoted as saying “we wanted to let people just sit back and let the Web come to them.” This can be quite benefical for users but does add two concerns:

First, many users perform searches that they may not wish included in any of these preview windows. There may be searches they wish to keep private of one reason or another. This may include possible present ideas for a husband, wife, child, etc. that they do not wish related items to be displayed when that person is around, or it may include work related materials that may not be appropriate for someone else to see.

Secondly, some security analysts are still concerned about the sending and receiving done by the Google Desktop. Now Google is a public company and one with a great record on privacy thus far. However, part of the job of security analysts is to be mild conspiracy buffs, and any ability for a program to upload information without them knowing exactly what is being sent bothers them.

There are other concerns raised by those in the security field, but many of these simply do not stand a real evaluation. One example is the claim that these new search tools are a security risk because they allow you easy access to any file no matter where it is stored on the system. This does not hold because any security plan that is based on burying information deep within file structures is not worth much regardless of any search tool.

These new search tools are clearly beneficial to consumer and business users. They may also serve a double benefit of forcing individuals and companies to think a little more about security in the digital age.