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Google Privacy Policy Could Violate EU Law
judgecorp writes "Google's new unified privacy policy could violate EU law, according to objections. The French data regulator warns that the policy will infringe users' privacy by building a single online profile. Commission Nationale de L’informatique et Des Libertes (CNIL) has expressed “deep concerns” about the policy and its adherence to the European Data Protection Directive."
and Facebook is not? What is it that Facebook is doing that Google has not done? Reading the FA didn't reveal anything other than an impression that "will continue their investigations with Google’s representatives" essentially means "will see if this gives us a good chance to treat Google as an ATM".
ignorance never makes good justification.
So? Don't buy an Android device then, if you did not know that beforehand, send it back. If you just figure that out after months...well, go figure.
You know, you're not exactly forced to use an Android device (no I won't accept corporate stuff as excuse), you can buy a simple not-so-smart-phone...or a Windows phone *snickers*.
If the services had started out integrated this would not be an issue. On Facebook you can do a search, look at someone's photos, post comments etc. and everyone knows they all share data. Should Google be treated differently just because google brought in picassa, added blogging, etc. rather than implementing them all in one go?
ignorance never makes good justification.
You're right, it doesn't. But, ignorance is a fact of life in many (if not most) areas of "technology". Don't know how to fix your own car so you got an expensive repair bill? Are you sure all those parts really needed to be replaced? How about fixing your own electric or plumbing or computer? Just because these are "physical" objects doesn't make it that different. If you knew how they worked you could (and hopefully would) make a more educated decision about them.
Yes, Google is trying to become 'Big Brother' without all those pesky restraints put upon governments by their citizens. The more information Google, Facebook, et al can harvest the more useful they become to other large entities. We're all ignorant of the true intent of these types of companies, but I'm pretty sure they intend to move "profit!" up to position #1 if at all possible.
Oh really, Mr. shill? So where's that opt-in option?
From Microsoft privacy statement:
Collection of Your Personal Information
We collect information as part of operating our Websites and services.
- At some Microsoft sites, we ask you to provide personal information, such as your e-mail address, name, home or work address, or telephone number. We may also collect demographic information, such as your ZIP code, age, gender, preferences, interests and favorites. If you choose to make a purchase or sign up for a paid subscription service, we will ask for additional information, such as your credit card number and billing address.
- In order to access some Microsoft services, you will be asked to sign in with an e-mail address and password, which we refer to as your Windows Live ID. By signing in on one Microsoft site or service, you may be automatically signed into other Microsoft sites and services that use Windows Live ID. For more information, see the Windows Live ID privacy supplement.
- We collect additional information about your interaction with Microsoft sites and services without identifying you as an individual. For example, we receive certain standard information that your browser sends to every website you visit, such as your IP address, browser type and language, access times and referring Web site addresses. We also use Web site analytics tools on our sites to retrieve information from your browser, including the site you came from, the search engine(s) and the keywords you used to find our site, the pages you view within our site, your browser add-ons, and your browser's width and height.
- We use technologies, such as cookies and web beacons (described below), to collect information about the pages you view, the links you click and other actions you take on our sites and services.
- We also deliver advertisements (see the Display of Advertising section below) and provide Web site analytics tools on non-Microsoft sites and services, and we collect information about page views on these third party sites as well.
- When you receive newsletters or promotional e-mail from Microsoft, we may use web beacons (described below), customized links or similar technologies to determine whether the e-mail has been opened and which links you click in order to provide you more focused e-mail communications or other information.
No opt-in here! The only thing you can do is opt-out of the advertising (not data collection).
More:
Sharing of Your Personal Information
Except as described in this statement, we will not disclose your personal information outside of Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates without your consent.
So, you can't even choose not to share your personal information with some subsidiaries and affiliates.
Oh, and that centralization of data people are criticizing Google for?
In order to offer you a more consistent and personalized experience in your interactions with Microsoft, information collected through one Microsoft service may be combined with information obtained through other Microsoft services. We may also supplement the information we collect with information obtained from other companies. For example, we may use services from other companies that enable us to derive a general geographic area based on your IP address in order to customize certain services to your geographic area.
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I don't like lying shills, therefore I'm a Google fanboy? Good argument.
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Having worked for many years in digital security in Europe, I believe that I have some understanding of this issue. It all boils down to the presence (US) or absence (EU) of private credit rating and consumer data collection industries. In Europe, banks are required to do their own risk assessment. If any data collected about a consumer falls in the wrong hands, the collecting party is liable for any damages UNLESS the consumer has given formal (i.e. written) consent for that information to be passed on. In the US, the entire credit industry is predicated on the ability to collect large amounts of data about consumers and then to create risk profiles based on that data.