Duncan Mac-Vicar P.

Google checkout has been launched. It allows any online shop to handle checkout and payment trough google. It seems pretty convienent as you won’t need a unique password for every website.

Now they know what you buy, so they can cross more information in their database.

What is the problem:

• _Google account _ has turned to be the password I use more. I use it for my homepage, chat, email. And it is becoming a kinda of Microsoft passport in the web. Proprietary and centralized. I would like to see support from Google for some distributed and open identity system like OpenID or whatever works.
• With the fact that USA walks slowly towards a state where the goverment and corporations have more and more power. The president decides what is legal or not. Intrusive laws are passed and the excuse of terrorism is valid for everything (even when it is obvious that those laws come from corporate lobbies). I am every day more worried about having all my personal data under those laws. Just because a matter of principes. I just don’t trust where is it, even if there is nothing important there. Google, that is a serious problem for you. I can trust you but not where you are.

Appart of those problems, the idea is great. Want to sell something? Just implement the shopping cart, and leave checkout to Google.