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FTC To Monitor Google's Privacy Practices For 20 Years
Rambo Tribble writes "As reported in TPM, the Federal Trade Commission has reached an agreement (PDF) with Google that will include the agency monitoring the company's privacy practices for the next 20 years. Whither, Facebook?"
Oddly enough, another article details a surge in government requests for user information from Google. In a blog post, the company explained that they wanted to provide more transparency with regard to government requests, and have updated their Government Requests tool to do so.
Please choose one of the following...
a) Post all information about government request so everyone knows the government is suspicious of you.
b) Keep all request private so we don't know the government is suspicious of you.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Where are they going to find the money to do that? Are they going to trace every cable and wireless signal into the hidden closet where they keep all their drives? And when are we going to start monitoring the government?
For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
Monitoring google's privacy policies or having access to private data? :/
That's all they needed to say.
If the Government ran google+ and/or facebook, everyone would be outraged that politicians had access to your personal network and going's on.
Private entities with going concern over their own capitalization have it instead, with no government oversight. Despite the precisely targeted marketing that comes from it and (essentially) the tailored web experience that happens from it, people are ok with this.
Government asks to see if everything is kosher with the privacy agreements, and it becomes news.
Net Neutrality is a fine idea and we should all strive to ensure it. But the monopolization of social networking leads down almost the same scary path of a commercially crafted internet experience. The existence of these databases give companies insight into exactly what should be targeted at you to get you to spend money on them. I'm not saying there's an easy solution, and this post probably smacks of paranoia. It's just funny that we're OK with companies manipulating us, but not the government.
Is Google required to tell users when they have fulfilled a government request for user data / information?
A quick (and ironic?) Google search would have revealed that these terms were reached and disclosed this past March.
Breakfast served all day!
Every internet/media company should be subject to the same legal standards of privacy as the others, and all companies should be monitored for compliance.
Canada has had federal laws regarding information privacy since 1985. http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/P-21/index.html
It's probably due for some updating, but there is legislation in place that these companies are required to abide by if they want to serve the Canadian market.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
Seems they could use same.
Given what's being listed elsewhere on the front page regarding advertising based on your purchasing history I'd like to know who's going to be monitoring the privacy practices of the credit card companies.
fencepost
just a little off
Will Google still be around in 20 years?
I bet 10 Euro on "no".
( If I calculated the odds correctly, that could win me 100,000 Euro in 20 years. Which might be enough for a coffee and a bagel, POSSIBLY with jam, if I calculated the odds for the Euro collapsing correct )
In pre-Internet years, that's like going back to the founding of Western Union and saying you'll watch them for the next 200 years, as if anything done today will really be relevant then. Even the concept of privacy will radically change by then. Also by then, Google could be the next Yahoo used-to-be by then. Anyone wanna buy a company with the FTC's hand up its ass?
I8-D
Personally, I can't recall Google doing anything too egregious with user data, and they seem to be able to secure it, so I've been comfortable enough using their services. The FTC, while a bureaucracy that may have a bark worse than its bite, seems to at least be trying to do good with net neutrality and such. Letting the FTC vet anything that passes Google's own muster seems like a major win for consumers, and subsequently Google, as this should instill a bit more trust.
and see how many there are....
(Crickets)
Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
Is google paying for time, resources and labor to monitor for the next 20 years, or is this tax dollars at work?
I'd imagine keeping tabs on a company as expansive as google is expensive. I don't know who to be mad at; the government for intervening, or google for being a burden to the taxpayer.
If the FTC thinks google isn't playing nice with privacy, FINE them to cover the costs. If they aren't doing something wrong or worthy of penalty, get out of their business and let them run.
Sadly, the disreputable practices of credit card companies are most likely fully authorized by cardholder agreements.
I trust Google more than I trust FTC. At least Google has competition. FTC will sway whichever way the bought and paid for regulators will sway. What if we get another one like Michael Power as FTC chair? He famously said that he doesn't need to hire engineers because he can ask a CEO of any tech company what he needs to know.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Id suspect its little more than a PR exercise for Google. They can now hold up their hands and say "hey, were working with auditors for two decades in making sure we do no evil". How things change.