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Privacy Group Gives Google Lowest Possible Grade

Posted by Zonk on from the eff-triple-minus dept.

The Washington Post is reporting on a finding by London-based group Privacy International. In a new report, they find that Google has some of the worst privacy-protection practices anywhere on the web, giving them the lowest possible grade. "While a number of other Internet companies have troubling policies, none comes as close to Google to 'achieving status as an endemic threat to privacy,' Privacy International said in an explanation of its findings. In a statement from one of its lawyers, Google said it aggressively protects its users' privacy and stands behind its track record. In its most conspicuous defense of user privacy, Google last year successfully fought a U.S. Justice Department subpoena demanding to review millions of search requests."

6 of 260 comments (clear)

  1. A suggestion... by 313373_bot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Google last year successfully fought a U.S. Justice Department subpoena demanding to review millions of search requests. Very nice, but how long until either Google loses some legal fight, or it simply decides not to fight?

    One solution to the privacy problem, in my oppinion, would be granting users, besides the ability of not surrendering more information than necessary for a given transaction, some effective way of deleting their personal data once done with Google, Yahoo, Amazon or whoever else.
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    ^[:q!
    1. Re:A suggestion... by TheGreatHegemon · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Very nice, but how long until either Google loses some legal fight, or it simply decides not to fight? If Google loses the legal fight to defend their data from government violations, then you should be looking at your government, not Google for the privacy violation.
  2. Pot calls kettle black. by mooreBS · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why are these people attacking Google. Privacy and anonymity are rapidly eroding in the UK. Hello! You've got bigger privacy problems than Google if you're living there.

    1. Re:Pot calls kettle black. by Stormx2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The whole "UK is a big brother society" thing is overdone. 99% of cameras are just local shops looking out for their business. Remember that the UK is densely populated and natural selection has ground the a halt; council estates breed criminals. Sure, there are a lot of cameras, but it isn't some government conspiracy that people make it out to be.

    2. Re:Pot calls kettle black. by bky1701 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The whole "Google is big brother" thing is overdone. 99% of logging is just statistical. Remember that google is mainly an ad firm and they rely on statistics to do their job. Sure, there are a lot of logging, but it isn't some conspiracy that people make it out to be.

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      Great Intellect...
  3. Re:The Future of Google: Total Surveillance by Deekin_Scalesinger · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why mod this down? I rarely put on the tinfoil hat, but they can have an awful lot of data for people who choose to use many/all of their services. It is an aggregate of many people's lives. Not saying that they are doing it, but the guy deserves more than a -1 for his thoughts.

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    "As the intrepid kobold companion continues his journey, he begins to wonder... if priests raises dead, why anybody die?