Google/FTC consent decree, 20 years of consumer privacy protections Options

[AplusWebMaster]

FYI...

Google: FTC orders 20 years of consumer privacy protections
- http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_17733477?nclick_check=1
03/30/2011 - "In a landmark action that could change the way many Web companies handle users' personal information, the Federal Trade Commission charged Google with using deceptive tactics when it launched its social network, Google Buzz, and ordered the company to adopt stringent privacy rules and face independent audits of its practices for the next 20 years.
The ruling is expected to resonate through the social networking industry, and is the first time the FTC has ordered an Internet company to implement a comprehensive program to protect consumer information. While the consent order affects only Google, FTC officials suggested Wednesday that other Internet companies should follow suit...
The FTC said Google violated its privacy policies by taking personal information it collected when consumers signed up for Gmail and using it for a completely different kind of service - the Buzz social network - without first getting permission from users. Since then, Google says it has already put in place internal controls that make extensive discussions on consumer privacy part of the development of all new products, placing itself in compliance with the FTC order.
While analysts said they don't see a significant impact on Google's revenues from the FTC action, they agreed the landmark action could have significant ramifications for other online social networks, particularly Facebook...
Google did not acknowledge breaking the law by agreeing to the consent decree..."
- http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/03/google.shtm
03/30/2011

[Doug]

I do hope the FTC has sufficient gravitas and teeth to be taken seriously in this matter.

As for the suggestion that other providers should follow suit...
I certainly hope that Yahoo Email does.
I am weary of learning that Bob has joined XXX, and Mary has commented upon yyy, and Steve become a fan of zzz.
every time I log in to check my email.

Yes, it is a weary nuisance to read it, and I think it's also an invasion/exploitation.

Don't bother looking for a "like" button if you agree with my comments here.

[AplusWebMaster]

I do hope the FTC has sufficient gravitas and teeth to be taken seriously in this matter...

I can assure you from experience that they are fully backed by the Justice Department.

Having worked for "Big Blue" for 13 years, we had to read the consent decree booklet once-a-year and sign a card that we did so.

'Don't know if Google employees will have to do same, but it is a "definite possibility".

.

This post has been edited by AplusWebMaster: Mar 31 2011, 09:14 AM

[LDTate]

I posted your findings at MalwareBytes as well

[AplusWebMaster]

FYI...

Google foe won't take 'no' on Buzz cash...
- http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/01/...129132320110401
Mar 31, 2011 - "An internet privacy group that prodded U.S. regulators to scrutinize Google Inc is miffed about getting cut out of a class action settlement over the search behemoth's Buzz social network. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) objected to the settlement in a court filing this week, claiming Google and others decided to fund groups already benefiting from the company's largesse. EPIC, led by prominent privacy advocate Marc Rotenberg, filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission last year, saying Buzz threatened the privacy of Gmail users. Google settled with the FTC on Wednesday and agreed to independent privacy audits. Google also agreed last year to resolve a separate class action lawsuit brought by a Gmail user. Part of that deal provided for more than $6 million to be distributed to groups advocating for internet privacy issues. EPIC requested $1.75 million and while Google and plaintiff lawyers doled out money to groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Brookings Institution, EPIC did not get a cent. A federal judge will have to sign off on the disbursement plan..."

[AplusWebMaster]

FYI...

FTC calls out Google's Chrome over Do Not Track
- https://www.computerworld.com/s/article/921...k?taxonomyId=17
April 20, 2011 - "Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Liebowitz this week singled out Google for not adopting "Do Not Track," the privacy feature that lets consumers opt out of online tracking by Web sites and advertisers. In an interview Monday with Politico*, Liebowitz called out Google for not supporting Do Not Track in its Chrome browser... Do Not Track has been promoted by the FTC and by privacy advocates including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), as the best way to help consumers protect their privacy... Microsoft and Mozilla have added Do Not Track header support to their Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) and Firefox 4 browsers. While Apple hasn't confirmed that the next version of Safari will include Do Not Track, developers have reported finding the feature in early editions bundled with Mac OS X 10.7, aka "Lion," the upgrade slated to ship this summer. That leaves Google's Chrome and Opera's browser on the outside. But neither plans to implement Do Not Track anytime soon..."

* http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uui...C8-E8B45F2E3A70
April 19, 2011 - "... Leibowitz’s remarks came just weeks after the FTC and Google settled a case over privacy lapses during the launch of Buzz, the search firm’s online networking tool. Among other things, Google agreed to submit to regular audits of its online privacy practices for the next two decades... Google has shied away from a Do Not Track button on Chrome, saying that there's no agreement among advertisers to honor the tool even for the browsers that offer it..."

- http://www.informationweek.com/shared/prin...cleID=229219042

- http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archive..._not_track.html
April 17, 2011



This post has been edited by AplusWebMaster: Apr 22 2011, 08:00 AM

[AplusWebMaster]

FYI...

35M Google Profiles captured
- http://www.informationweek.com/news/securi...endly=this-page
May 27, 2011 - "A security researcher has assembled a single database containing 35 million people's Google Profiles information, including Twitter feeds, real names, and email addresses, among other data points. Google bills Profiles as a way to "decide what the world sees when it searches for you." But Matthijs R. Koot, a privacy and anonymity researcher at the University of Amsterdam, also found that because of the nature of Google Profiles - it's meant to be indexed by search engines - he was able to easily save available information into a SQL database. Doing so required about a month's effort "to retrieve the data, convert it to SQL using spidermonkey and some custom Javascript code, and import it into a database"... The resulting database contains whatever people have added to their own Google Profile..."

[Doug]

It is important for users to remember that when they register for a service such as Gmail, facebook, etc. They do not become the "customer" whose interests the provider looks after in order to retain a registered customer. Rather, they are the "content" for which the real "customers" (advertising firms) pay huge sums of money to use and exploit for their various purposes whether legitimate or nefarious.

Paying a few fines to government and user-advocate groups isn't even a speed-bump on the road to riches for companies like Google.

[AplusWebMaster]

@ Doug:

I think most of the members here "get it".

The 35 million who don't is the reason for the ...

It's just keeps happening over, and over, and over again...

.

[kellydavis]

Apparently,Google Inc. seem to be dealing with more government demands to turn over information about its users as more people immerse themselves online.With this increasing online traffic of Google users,transparency is a core value at Google.Moreover,I have read that twice each year, Google has made it a point to produce information about government requests. Most often, these inquiries are for private individual information or to get rid of distinct pieces of content from the web. Google states there are two factors behind this discharge of information. First, Google states it highlights the have to reform current privacy rules. Second, it is a move towards transparency of data release.Article source: Government requests for user data on the rise, says Google