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The Web's Worst Privacy Policy
Sparrowvsrevolution writes "With much of the web upset over about Google's latest privacy policy changes, it's helpful to remember it could be much worse: A search engine called Skipity offers the world's worst privacy policy (undoubtedly tongue-in-cheek), filled with lines like this: 'You may think of using any of our programs or services as the privacy equivalent of living in a webcam fitted glass house under the unblinking eye of Big Brother: you have no privacy with us. If we can use any of your details to legally make a profit, we probably will.' The policy gives the company the right to sell any of your data that it wants to any and all corporate customers, send you limitless spam, track your movements via GPS if possible, watch you through your webcam, and implant a chip in your body that is subject to reinstallation whenever the company chooses."
Every time I use Google, I get this unnerving feeling that Larry Page is petting a cat somewhere and telling a henchman "Soon we will have enough to blackmail EVERYONE...bwah, ha, ha, ha!"
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Infiltrated by Google employees and well-wishers, Slashdot consistently offers justifications for every bad behavior and terrible decision coming from Google. Just look at the previous article in which fanboys banded together to make sure Google was perceived as the good guy and that anyone critical of them was modbombed.
Just to recap, Google is a multibillion dollar advertising megacorporation that was caught by the German government sniffing people's wifi data (they "accidentally" did it for three years before admitting it only when authorities threatened an investigation), forced people to use real names on Google+ and admitted it was an identity service and not a social network, stuffed Google+ results into the search engine without any competing social networks even though they have those networks indexed by the search engine (hello, Microsoft tactics), said that the only people who care about privacy "have something to hide," hacked into Mocality to call its customers, removed H.264 support in Chrome out of "openness" only to turn around ship the closed-source Flash plugin, withheld Android source from the public but shared it with privileged hardware partners so they could have a leg up, abused their Android compatibility program to make things difficult for smartphone makers who chose Bing instead of Google, and on and on and on.
With all this crap they pull that would get them completely trashed if they were Microsoft or any other company, there's one reason and one reason only that they have been propped up as the good guy on Slashdot all these years--Linux. They use Linux. Slashdot is a Linux advocacy site, and so because Google uses Linux, they are good guys and get a pass for everything. That's all it takes to get Slashdot to love you. Just use Linux.
Hypocrites. When Microsoft used their Windows monopoly revenues to fund development of Internet Explorer and release it for free to try to dominate the web market, everyone here cried "antitrust!" But when Google uses its web search monopoly revenues to fund development of Android and release it for free to try to dominate smartphones, everyone defends it. For anyone who was on Slashdot during those times, to see Google doing all the very same things Microsoft did but get a completely different reaction is surreal.
Slashdot is a bubble. You only get pro-Google, pro-Linux news. Major news occurring elsewhere is often days late, if it gets reported at all. The Google+ search results fiasco is huge all over the tech sites right now, but there's nothing about it here, as if it doesn't even exist as a controversy. And did you know iOS surpassed Android in marketshare by the end of 2011 according to three research firms? With how obsessed Slashdot is over marketshare, and how they constantly trumpeted Android's marketshare all the time as a victory last year, you'd think it would be big news. But, no. This is pro-Google territory, pro-Linux territory. Gotta keep the natives happy for more page views.
This will get modded down because trolls have taken over the moderation system and openly subvert it. That's fine. It just proves my point about how Slashdot reacts to anything outside the partyline. This site's news reporting is old, antiquated, and slow, but the news isn't even why people come here anymore. The part of the community still remaining (after its years-long exodus to Reddit, Hacker News, and other sites, which is why traffic has decreased so dramatically on most Slashdot stories today) only comes here to pat themselves on the back for thinking a certain way. "Yeah, Microsoft is still evil! Yeah, Google is still the good guy! Yeah, Apple is still for chumps!" It's the year 2000 forever on Slashdot.
It's obviously a joke, but, that said, courts will not necessarily enforce contracts that are so one-sided as to be entirely unconscionable or ludicrous. I'm pretty sure this fits the definition...
Slashdot became Google's cheerleader long ago. Google can do no wrong here. Their evil is so obvious that competitors are openly satirizing their insane privacy violations with fake privacy policies and "Don't Be Evil" bookmarklets, but Slashdot still won't give a shit because OMG THEY USE OPEN SOURCE!!!1
So when does Apple sue them for IP infringement?
Fuck off with this shit already. It's getting old.
We're not retarded. We'll figure out how we should mod each comment.
Here is a direct link to the privacy policy.
http://skipity.com/privacy
Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
that no one has yet mentioned that Skipity is just a front for Bing.
Dog is my co-pilot.
Haw-haw, get it, because Apple sues everybody for nothing, right?
This is totally not a rip-off!
Neither is this!
Or this!
Yep, Apple totally has no right to be suing anybody for stealing their design work.
http://kimvention2012.com/
Because it's closer to being the least bit interesting than your waffle.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
They've always been good at it. They've just been media darlings for so long that they got away with it. But the tide is turning: look at Google Plus Your Search. It's so controversial that Larry Page threatened critical employees that if they didn't like it, they should be working somewhere else.
Google has become another big corporation never happy with the money it's making. Facebook has replaced email and other aspects of the web, and that threatens Google's advertising dollars, which is over 98% of their revenue source.
That's actually the privacy policy of the United States Federal government.
And getting worse every day . . . .
If you read every website's privacy, usage, terms of use, and every other linked "agreements" every single one without exception has these vague legalese clauses that basically say what this guy says.
If it were not, you probably would not have a Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn account:
I deleted my LinkedIn account because they will turn into another FB - only they have a more targeted marketing system.
Want to market shit to just programmers? LinkedIN
Accountants? Lawyers? Project Mangers?
LinkedIN.
(or sensing it via some any other means) Indicates acceptance of the agreement. As does closing this browser or browsing to another page.
Nullius in verba
Sorry to be the one to break this to you, but it's quite possible that there are two real racists on Slashdot. Maybe more! In the short term a post may have a silly moderation like that, but over the course of a day or two things will usually average out.
Besides - if you're the original AC, you're the one who is creating multiple accounts for the purposes of shilling and up-modding yourself, so you have no right to complain.
which is totally what she said
Most privacy policies are just as bad as the "worst" privacy policy: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=privacy+%22or+as+allowed+by+law%22
Note that they give a bunch of circumstances in which they will use your private information, but then they add in "or as *allowed* by law" which means they can do absolutely anything with your information that isn't illegal.
Somehow I think people misread it as "or as required by law" which is an altogether different thing.
Note to humanity, if your judgement is a comparison of "what is" and "the worst of all possible situations", you will allow yourself to be harmed up until the time where you ARE in the worst of all known situations... and it will be too late to act.
No, Google is not the worst of all possible situations, but they have acted sufficiently for us all too be concerned about what they do now, what they can do now, and what they are able and willing to do in the future.
Slashdot's policy allows its system to thrash anyone's KARMA at will.
and keep humping his leg with your false dichotomy of google vs. apple. and/or microsoft.
I just went to skipity.com in an incognito session and in the search box it already had some of my sear queries from google? Is that strange?
NEWS.
:(
This isn't news by any stretch of the meaning.. And a viral marketing campaign posted to the front page yesterday about psychics remote sensing aliens? Jesus Slashdot.. NO news is better than turning yourself into a tabloid. Please stop with the posting of non-events and get back to the real reporting
Serious, want to do be within a kilometer of a user computer when the click is on.
How about this one.
I know I bit earlier when this came up, but, can we get some better copy/pasta trolling?
I miss the Golden Girls and on a very strange level, goatse.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
... this license. Expect it to go into production sometime next year across the web.
Check your premises.
"This product is meant for educational purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. List each check separately by bank number. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during shipment. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Postage will be paid by addressee. Subject to CAB approval. This is not an offer to sell securities. Apply only to affected area. May be too intense for some viewers. Do not stamp. Use other side for additional listings. For recreational use only. Do not disturb. All models over 18 years of age. If condition persists, consult your physician. No user-serviceable parts inside. Freshest if eaten before date on carton. Subject to change without notice. Times approximate. Simulated picture. No postage necessary if mailed in the United States. Please remain seated until the ride has come to a complete stop. Breaking seal constitutes acceptance of agreement. For off-road use only. As seen on TV. One size fits all. Many suitcases look alike. Contains a substantial amount of non-tobacco ingredients. Colors may fade. We have sent the forms which seem right for you. Slippery when wet. For office use only. Not affiliated with the American Red Cross. Drop in any mailbox. Edited for television. Keep cool; process promptly. Post office will not deliver without postage. List was current at time of printing. Return to sender, no forwarding order on file, unable to forward. Not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect, error or failure to perform. At participating locations only. Not the Beatles. Penalty for private use. See label for sequence. Substantial penalty for early withdrawal. Do not write below this line. Falling rock. Lost ticket pays maximum rate. Your canceled check is your receipt. Add toner. Place stamp here. Avoid contact with skin. Sanitized for your protection. Be sure each item is properly endorsed. Sign here without admitting guilt. Slightly higher west of the Mississippi. Employees and their families are not eligible. Beware of dog. Contestants have been briefed on some questions before the show. Limited time offer, call now to ensure prompt delivery. You must be present to win. No passes accepted for this engagement. No purchase necessary. Processed at location stamped in code at top of carton. Shading within a garment may occur. Use only in a well-ventilated area. Keep away from fire or flames. Replace with same type. Approved for veterans. Booths for two or more. Check here if tax deductible. Some equipment shown is optional. Price does not include taxes. No Canadian coins. Not recommended for children. Prerecorded for this time zone. Reproduction strictly prohibited. No solicitors. No alcohol, dogs or horses. No anchovies unless otherwise specified. Restaurant package, not for resale. List at least two alternate dates. First pull up, then pull down. Call toll free number before digging. Driver does not carry cash. Some of the trademarks mentioned in this product appear for identification purposes only. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Record additional transactions on back of previous stub. Unix is a registered trademark of AT&T. Do not fold, spindle or mutilate. No transfers issued until the bus comes to a complete stop. Package sold by weight, not volume. Your mileage may vary. Known as Hellman's east of the Rockies. Beware of greeks bearing gifts. Beware of gifts bearing greeks. This side up. Don't take any wooden nickels. Don't take candy from strangers. Void where prohibited. Caveat Emptor (Buyer beware) Caveat Vendor (Beware of street people). Donde esta el bano. Beware of DOS. Look both ways before crossing the street. All your base are belong to us. Always wear safety belt. Always wear deodorant. Don't forget to breathe. If you park, don't drink...accidents cause people. This supersedes all previous notices.
This modified disclaimer may not be copied without the expressed written consent of whoever I stole it from."
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
... Is that a bad thing?
My blog
implant a chip in your body?
even for a job they can't make you do that I don't thing this will hold up in any court.
Skipity is just ahead of their time. Just wait 10 years in the future and they will all be like this. The Patriot Act, the NDAA, the ever expanding TSA. It is only a matter of time.
The Official Site of 1337 Pwnage
Really? That is the BEST privacy policy I've ever seen. As proof I offer the fact that I actually read it all the way through, and enjoyed reading it. Neither of those things has ever happened before...
And probably a shill for a competitor. I have not seen valid criticism of Google getting down modded. I have only seen shill posts like yours with no substance get modded down to oblivion. The only tech columnists reporting this conspiratorial stuff with no basis in facts are people like MG Siegler or other well known idiots that are paid by Apple or Microsoft.
He's paid by Yahoo! to post that.
Helpful in what way? In an "sure, our president (for example) is doing something very bad, but it's helpful to remember a worse leader in history: Hitler" sort of way?
Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
I want to stop using Gmail, any better alternatives
For the Europeans they mention the Safe Harbor program, yet their certification seem to have expired:
http://safeharbor.export.gov/companyinfo.aspx?id=10543
They should remove that from the policy then. Or just self certify themselves, lol.
What is the bottom line on Google's new consolidated privacy policy? What was private before that is now not private?
No, Grandpa Simpson, it never was. Perhaps you're thinking of Usenet before the Great Renaming?
Yay for Russotto (537200)
Thanks for proving the rule.
Checking your post closely reveals a disk, a black flap, and a scorpion. Truly marvelous.