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Comment by brudgers | Hacker News Reader

Google's privacy policy allows them to use a person's data to develop new products and services. Scanning voice communications for key words and then converting those into targeted advertising seems like it would be consistent with such use.

And without the intent to do something along those lines, it is hard to see a business case under which Google could justify devoting resources to Voice.

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"And without the intent to do something along those lines, it is hard to see a business case under which Google could justify devoting resources to Voice."

I agree. They offer Google Voice, and it's easy to assume they apply the same type of analysis to voice communications like they do with other forms of communication.

http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html

The post itself is a bit looney but the question is fair. I once noticed in my GV history a transcript of an outgoing message I'd left on another machine. Which is weird, because I thought GV was only supposed to transcribe incoming messages. Unfortunately I didn't save a copy or take a screenshot so I have no way of proving I didn't hallucinate the whole thing.

voice search.

Google isn't in the search business.

Since most of their revenue comes from advertising, you have a point.

Google sells search appliances, so they are most certainly in the search business:

http://www.google.com/enterprise/search/

However, obviously it's not their main source of revenue, but they are in that business.

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