Several months ago, Consumer Watchdog asked Google to "cease a rumored lobbying effort aimed at allowing the sale of electronic medical records." Google responded by calling the claim totally false. Now, Consumer Watchdog’s come back with evidence that Google lobbied for something health-related, and the group’s demanded an explanation.
EU Probes UK Over Internet Privacy
The European Commission said on Tuesday it is taking legal action against the United Kingdom for not adequately protecting the privacy of British Internet users.
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said the action had to do with how Internet service providers used Phorm technology to send users targeted ads based on the sites they visited.
Google Goes the Privacy Route for YouTube in South Korea
Last month, reports came out indicating that Google might have to make YouTube users in South Korea confirm their real identities if they wanted to upload or comment on content. There is a law in that country that went into effect on April 1st, that requires users to provide their ID numbers and would require Google to turn over information to the South Korean government when asked.
Google Docs Privacy Glitch Accidentally Shares Documents
On Friday Google contacted some Google Docs users to alert them of a privacy issue. Less than 0.05% of user docs were accidentally shared with people with whom they were not supposed to be.
Facebook Needs To Follow And Not Lead On Privacy Policies
I took last week off, and it was a big week for Facebook watchers. Facebook decided to change its terms of service, putting its millions of users on notice that Facebook owns their data and isn’t planning any opt-out mechanism. Now, to many observers, including Chris Brogan and me, it’s not news that free Web services own the data posted to them, but this Facebook announcement caused a firestorm, and Facebook backed off before the week was out. Watching this play out caused me to realize why Facebook is dumber than Google.
Alleviating Google Latitude Privacy Concerns
Google’s recently announced Latitude service has sparked a bit of concern among privacy advocates and the generally paranoid. I spoke with a Google Spokesperson about this.
Google Latitude is a feature in Google Maps for mobile and iGoogle that allows you to share your location with your family and friends in real time.
Privacy Groups Protest Mobile Advertising Practices
A lot of things have prevented mobile advertising from becoming widespread; think phone tech, consumers’ reactions, and advertisers’ reluctance, to name a few. Now, it looks like the list has grown longer, as the Center for Digital Democracy and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group have sent the FTC a formal complaint.
Street View Draws More Privacy Trouble to Google
Google’s Street View feature on Google Maps is certainly no stranger to privacy concerns. It has attracted lawsuits, but it is still moving right along. Google even dismissed one lawsuit bringer as being "out of touch with the real world."
Browsers Judged On Privacy, Personalization
Personalization can be nice; looked at one way, it’s what leads the bartender at a favorite pub to get your Guinness the moment you arrive. It can be kind of a drag, too, though – do you want your friendly neighborhood pharmacist to remember your every problem? – and so personalization was weighed against privacy in an SES Chicago session called "Battle of the Browsers."
Google Getting Hung Up In Privacy Issues
Google has a significant presence in Europe with large offices in Dublin, Zurich, and London, and smaller centers in Denmark, Russia, and Poland. The giant search company has been well received up to this point, but is now being forced to fight privacy laws.