Uh oh. Google Notebooks are being mined for private info

I’m not sure what to focus on more: The fact that there are internet users misinformed enough to feel as though their Google Notebooks are suitable places to store private information like birth dates, passwords, social security numbers, etc? Or, that those very same people have elected to keep their notebooks “public”.

If you’re a current Google Notebook user, take note. Earlier today it was made known [via Digg] that Google offers a public search engine dedicated to searching public Google Notebooks. After glimpsing the digg post, I thought nothing of it. That was until I noticed this post on TechCrunch.

Apparently the Google Notebook search tool can be used to located names, emails, birth dates, even social security numbers and login info. A few quick sample queries resulted in a number of hits which displayed vital information for any not-so-do-gooder with less than amiable intentions.

If you’re a Google Notebook user and wish to check whether your notebook entries are private or public, login (Google Notebook) and navigate to the Sharing options link for each notebook collection.