Google Desktop New and Improved...or Not

Just caught this via TechCrunch; Google Desktop has added some new special features, such as sharing info with friends from the the Sidebar and searching for files across more than one computer.

I'm liking the Sidebar feature, mostly because anything that enables me to send more junk, I mean, important memos and such, to my friends and business colleagues has a big thumbs-up. However, the whole searching for files across more than one computer set my Spidey sense to tingling. Here's why (right from the Google Desktop info):

"In order to share your indexed files between your computers, we first copy this content to Google Desktop servers located at Google. This is necessary, for example, if one of your computers is turned off or otherwise offline when new or updated items are indexed on another of your machines."

There's more:

"While your data is automatically deleted from our servers, you can use the Clear my Files from Google button to manually remove all your files from Google Desktop servers. Note that if these files haven't yet been copied to your other computers, clicking this button will prevent you from finding them when you search from your other computers."

I'm not a huge privacy freak or anything, but it kind of gives me the willies to think that Google would have access to my hard drive, and that I am asked to willingly give them access to my information. A few points I am mulling over:

• The Department of Justice has a thing for Google. In the last few months we've seen search histories turned over to the DoJ to catch bad guys who have done bad things. I don't have a problem with this until it's my search history that's being turned over to Big Brother.
• Why isn't there an "on/off" button? I'd have less of a problem with all this if I could choose a timeframe in which my files were searchable.
• Will my files turn up in Google search results some day by mistake? Stranger things have happened.
• Is it worth a download? I can't decide for you, but I'm not planning on sharing my files anytime soon. Sure, it'd be nice to have access to my files from a remote location but there's better ways to do it than giving my information to a third party. Which brings me to this question: What do YOU think of Google Desktop asking for access to your files, and what are some other ways you the reader can think of to access your files remotely?

Google Privacy: Read more about Google privacy issues in past Web Search blog posts; Google Re-Unveils Personal Search and Google and CNet: An Uneasy, Embarassing Standoff.