IRSeek
IRSeek.com is a search engine for looking into IRC conversations that led to alot of rumors and little online riots. After reading an article on Tweakers.net and checking out blogs of both sides (in this case Freenode and IRSeek) of the story. (The ball started rolling after this post on TechCrunch.com.)
Freenode
Isn't happy at all with this 'wonderful' service. Completely ignoring their guidelines and providing no opt-out for neither channels or usernames. Also in a first action against IRSeek they don't accept any more TOR connections to the network.
IRSeek
Tries to defend their service by saying the channels are public places where everyone can log and share the logs again with the whole world not just the people in the channel.
My Opinion
- IRSeek should let channel owners know that they are logging their channel (for the ones that they are allready logging).
- Make their bots identifiable with hostnames. So that channel owners can ban them out.
- IRSeek should get a grip and get real, using TOR isn't helping them
! - Create both Opt-In and Opt-Out possibilities. So that users can remove their statements/comments/deepest feelings from the index.
- Create services so that channel owners can let their users search from their own site. (Just like the custom google search).
- Privacy is a delicate matter but seems less and less worth something. (Especialy with the 'wonderful' war on terror, anything seems legit.) But imho it should be respected and thought over very well before setting up a service like this. (It's a good idea for a service but more options should have added to it to respect that privacy.)
- What is going to happen with similar services. Just like Google in the EU privacy matter they seem to go only after that big fish and forget the smaller ones for the moment. Really looking forward on what is going to happen to the smaller ones. (A small list of these sites can be found here.)
WyriHaximus
Tag it!: 3 December 2007, 23:32 Views: 1143 0 [Mood: Pissed 
]
