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Google Privacy Quickies

Posted by kdawson on from the get-over-it dept.

Several notes about Google and privacy. First, Lucas123 informs us that Google's global privacy counsel blogged about an improvement in Google's data-retention policies: the company plans to anonymize data it stores about users after 18 months — a slight improvement on the "18 to 24 months" of the previous policy. This move may have come as a response to pressure from European regulators. Next, Spamicles sends in word that an EFF attorney has been photographed by Google's Street View. The funny thing is, this isn't the first time it's happened. Finally, word from reader tamar that if you choose to share a video from Google Video to another social network like MySpace, your username and password get sent over http in plaintext, rather than the more secure https.

7 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. plain text by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I call BS regarding the google video thing, we all know it was ROT13'd twice.

    1. Re:plain text by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      That's stupid, the least they could do is use a more optimized version of that algorithm. ROT26 is much faster and uses much less CPU power, therefor being much better for the climate.

    2. Re:plain text by eneville · · Score: 3, Funny

      ... in soviet russia google finds you!!

      --
      Why UNIX?
    3. Re:plain text by Kagura · · Score: 2, Funny

      And good luck breaking a cipher that doesn't exist! :)

      One might be a god among men to patent dual-ROT13.

  2. Obligatory skit by monkeyboythom · · Score: 3, Funny

    Mr. Ken Andrews, of Leighton Road, Slough has concealed himself extremely well. He could be almost anywhere. He could be behind the wall, inside the water barrel, beneath a pile of leaves, up in the tree, squatting down behind the car, concealed in a hollow, or crouched behind any one of a hundred bushes. However, we happen to know he's in the water barrel.

    [BOOM!]

    This demonstrates the value of not being seen.

  3. Skewed Odds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I guess if you take up smoking, you will have much better odds being photographed/video'd for these things. First smokers get the 20 minute break every hour to stand around in the nice out doors, now they get featured on google maps as a result. It's just not fair.

  4. New Thinkgeek Product Idea by Greyfox · · Score: 4, Funny

    Robots.txt T-Shirt!

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?