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Google Settles Buzz Privacy Suit
bouldin writes "This evening, Google e-mailed Gmail users who had been invited to Google Buzz to advise of settlement on a class-action privacy suit. The class action suit alleged privacy breaches due to the default privacy settings when Google rolled out the service. Terms of the settlement include $8 million to cover lawyer fees and fund privacy policy education on the Internet, but do not include cash payouts to Gmail users. With several outstanding class action privacy suits against Facebook and Zynga, it is interesting to see Google set this precedent."
Even if Google said I could get $50 from the lawsuit I wouldn't accept it. I have no reason to take Google's $50 when it was up to me to learn about my privacy on Google Buzz. Plus, Google has done so much for me in the past that it would be like stealing money from a friend. Cannot do that. Freakin lawyers, bunch of [my attorney has advised me not to complete this sentence].
One never knows when one may want to sue Google over privacy concerns. This is a good way for them to put a blanket over millions of potential future lawsuits.
The lawyers are taking home 25% of the 8.5 million (plus interest), plus reimbursement of costs and expenses, according to the class action website.
Frankly, if I had to choose between a company keeping the money it has earned versus going to a random group of lawyers, I'd go with the former. Maybe I'd be more for punishing an organization financially if they were engaging in risky behavior and refusing to stop; however, from what I can remember about the incident, Google apologized and shut the thing down quickly (I'm not 100% on that, though).
Mine wasn't. I guess enough people marked it as Spam to train Google's filters...
Sigh. *read the settlement*.
This is exactly the same argument we had back when Google Books got their settlement. Will you never learn?
How we know is more important than what we know.
I agree, and what is the problem? When I buy something from anyone else, I don't use it, and then demand my money back. Likewise, Google hosts emails for free, in exchange for the fact that they can look at them at any time and do with them what they please. Why should I be upset when there is a breach in privacy? The only difference between posting a message on Facebook, and sending an email through GMail, is that Google has better security settings. It would be ridiculous to use GMail for anything sensitive, just like it would be ridiculous to use Facebook for anything sensitive.
Most people are lulled into a false sense of security because Google doesn't release email data. It's in their best interest not to. But people forget that they have it all there.
Sewage Treatment Facilities - "Our duty is clear."
I'm not from the USA, so this doesn't affect me, anyway, but... how on earth can it be possible for people to "waive" their right to sue by doing nothing and not jumping through a set of hoops (sending a letter with all kinds of information, providing "proof" that you used GMail etc)?
Isn't that a bit like saying "by not sending me a written letter including your name, address, phone number, signature, reason for opting out and favorite brand of cereal, you hereby agree to pay me a hundred bucks"? Maybe it's legal in the USA, but it sure as hell seems rather fucked up to me.
I read about something like this every couple of weeks. Usually the benefactor is our State or Federal government. I have even experienced this at a much greater scale.
About 5 years ago my wife needed some surgery. Our surgery was covered by my insurance. The doctor's staff reviewed our insurance and said we had "great insurance" and that they never have problems with our insurance.
Anyways, she had the surgery and a few months later we received a bill for over 10 thousand of dollars. Turns out that our insurance covered 90% of the cost of the surgery, but only 90% of the cost that some data base said the surgery was worth. The data base said the surgery was worth just over $1000. So they covered a little less than $1000 of a $10,000 plus bill.
Of course this was BS so we refused to pay and two years later we were in court owing over $20,000 (late fees, collection fees, midnight slamming on the door and scaring the kids by the local police fees...)
We lost in court and we were chastised by the judge.
We couldn't pay and ended up filing bankruptcy.
Well, that was the background. Now to the point. Last years it was determined that the company that determines what a procedure is worth is wholly owned by the insurance company that writes the checks. Not only that but the insurance company saved 100s of millions of dollars because they didn't have to pay as much as they would have.
The punishment on the insurance company was that they had to pay a fine of $50 million dollars to the State. This BS bankrupted us.
Go figure...