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Google to Pay $22.5 Million Settlement in Safari Privacy Circumvention Case

faroZ06 said:
You're overreacting about a little mass data collection Google takes for advertising purposes. And the ads get blocked by AdBlock anyway :)

These secret little data collectors are not cool, but it's not going to hurt you.
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You may not value *your* privacy or feel that it's adequately protected, but I value mine and everyone else's. Forgiving them for this breach is akin to giving permission to others to continue doing it or to start anew. We either have privacy in society or we don't - there isn't grey area here, this isn't something you can compromise, it's absolute.

What I do is my business and my business only, the fact I have to take steps to ensure that happens is bad enough (privacy should be *default*). The fact that companies bypass this is is a violation of trust. The fact they profit off the information gleaned from this breach is not satisfied by a mere hand-waving on the part of apologists, and $22.5M is nothing. They gambled and won. Ka-ching!

Google is pure evil, this story is just one example (we know about) of many of their ongoing wrongdoings.
 
Razeus said:
This is why I'm switching my email from GMail to Outlook. Now with this social networking thing, GMail is clearly overstepping its boundaries.
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While I like your theory and have contemplated doing it myself, I don't think Microsoft is much better.
 
Surely a typo ? Surely they mean an FTC fine of $22 Billion ?
A breach like that from a company of the size of market share of Google, must be taken seriously.

If it was $22m Google will just do it again tomorrow, and the day after
 
faroZ06 said:
You're overreacting about a little mass data collection Google takes for advertising purposes. And the ads get blocked by AdBlock anyway :)

These secret little data collectors are not cool, but it's not going to hurt you.
Click to expand...

Glad you can decide for everyone else what is and isn't a violation of privacy.

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WilliamLondon said:
You may not value *your* privacy or feel that it's adequately protected, but I value mine and everyone else's. Forgiving them for this breach is akin to giving permission to others to continue doing it or to start anew. We either have privacy in society or we don't - there isn't grey area here, this isn't something you can compromise, it's absolute.

What I do is my business and my business only, the fact I have to take steps to ensure that happens is bad enough (privacy should be *default*). The fact that companies bypass this is is a violation of trust. The fact they profit off the information gleaned from this breach is not satisfied by a mere hand-waving on the part of apologists, and $22.5M is nothing. They gambled and won. Ka-ching!

Google is pure evil, this story is just one example (we know about) of many of their ongoing wrongdoings.
Click to expand...

^^^ This ^^^ Pay $.05 and admit no guilt sure is a win for Google.
 
So the users are the afected, ¿and the money goes to Apple??


Uhmmm, that rings a bell to me..... :)
 
This is exactly why I refuse to use Chrome and anything similar by Google. Google have not yet proved I can be safe while using their browser. Actually they are slowly proving the opposite with stuff like this.
 
wkadamsjr said:
I'd be willing to bet about 80% of the population has no idea Google got fined $22.5 million and what they did to merit that fine.

And out of those that do, some couldn't care less and will continue to use Google. If I'm Google, I'm not complaining.
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In my group of friends, Most know about Google behaviors and this is just a nail in the coffin for them. Doesn't matter how many knows right away because medias will keep talking about this record when they talk about Google and privacy. And people always have curiosity about their privacy.
 
WilliamLondon said:
Couldn't agree more!

And just how much do you think $22.5M will hurt Google? I wonder how much money Google made from this little violation?
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$22.5 million is not a problem. However, Google is under observation by the FTC, and every time they do something wrong, someone at the FTC will say "the previous fine didn't work, we need a bigger fine". Each fine is one step up on the ladder.

******* said:
So the users are the afected, ¿and the money goes to Apple??
Click to expand...

The money goes to the FTC.


NY Guitarist said:
This was NOT honest AT ALL. Purely deceptive.

This was no mistake, it was totally INTENTIONAL.
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And there is quite clear evidence that this was not an honest mistake: Google detected which browser was used, and acted in different ways. It was possible to get around the cookie policy both on Safari and on Internet Explorer, but the Safari method doesn't work against Internet Explorer, and the Internet Explorer method doesn't work against Safari. In both cases, Google used the "right" method against the right browser.
 
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gnasher729 said:
$22.5 million is not a problem. However, Google is under observation by the FTC, and every time they do something wrong, someone at the FTC will say "the previous fine didn't work, we need a bigger fine". Each fine is one step up on the ladder.
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While I appreciate your optimism, I call into question the efficacy of an escalation policy, especially when it starts so low - that's akin to a mother scolding her child in a pleading whisper for killing the neighbor's cat.

Why not tamp this out when it occurs? In other words, make it hurt so they won't *dare* do anything like this again. And if they do, close the company. This should be how we enforce our laws with corporations. We're so much stricter with average citizens who break laws. People think corporations are people? Well, let's start treating them like how you and me people get treated by the judicial system.
 
"FTC commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the settlement, with the dissenting commissioner arguing against the settlement allowing Google to deny all liability related to the issue."

Does this mean the dissenting commissioner was against the whole settlement, or against the settlement because it allows Google to deny all liability related to the issue? Did he think they should pay a fine, and still be liable? I personally think they should pay the fine (How about a billion $) and still be liable. Maybe
I'm being too harsh though...After all, look at Android. You can't beat that kind
of original thinking. :rolleyes:
 
\-V-/ said:
That's what I was thinking. Nobody I know uses that anymore and I used to be on there all the time. Everyone is on FB these days.
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There are still millions using it. Some have it as their ISP still which is still a huge revenue stream to AOL and some are just clueless. My brother was one of the clueless who thought he had to both pay for AOL (when it became free) and his ISP. He didn't understand that he could drop AOL and just pay for his ISP.
 
garbeth said:
While I like your theory and have contemplated doing it myself, I don't think Microsoft is much better.
Click to expand...

Microsoft doesn't scan your email content body.

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faroZ06 said:
I don't really care about Google taking info from me in an anonymous mass info thing. The only reason I would ever care about this stuff is if it was using a significant amount of bandwidth or computer resources.

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Outlook is another name for "MSN" or "Hotmail". Let me tell you that you will have way less privacy on those super-hackable accounts. I used to get emails all the time from MSN or Hotmail accounts of my family/friends that were hacked.

I actually like AOL mail the best. It's basically the same as Google, but you get AIM instead of the lame Google chat.
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I like AOL too. I tried to switch to going as far as emailing all my friends letting them know of my new address. Their UI was great, simple and clean. Unfortunately, AOL doesn't let you attach multiple files at once (if they do, enlighten me) by selecting a bunch of files. You've got to do them one by one, which is a PITA.
 
617arg said:
I don't know......with the rise of Google+ and Facebook there is a face and name to go along with all that data now. It's become far too personal and the potential and ease with which abuse can occur seems to be crossing a line.
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Do you use Google Plus? I don't know anyone who actually uses that. And I do agree that Google Plus is a great way to lose your privacy, more so than FaceBook. If you want to stay private, don't use Google Plus, or use it on a separate account because Google publicly states that their services are very connected.

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Razeus said:
Microsoft doesn't scan your email content body.

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I like AOL too. I tried to switch to going as far as emailing all my friends letting them know of my new address. Their UI was great, simple and clean. Unfortunately, AOL doesn't let you attach multiple files at once (if they do, enlighten me) by selecting a bunch of files. You've got to do them one by one, which is a PITA.
Click to expand...

I was just talking about the service. Why don't you connect your AOL account to Mail? I never use the web interface for any email thing.
 
matrix07 said:
In my group of friends, Most know about Google behaviors and this is just a nail in the coffin for them. Doesn't matter how many knows right away because medias will keep talking about this record when they talk about Google and privacy. And people always have curiosity about their privacy.
Click to expand...

The 80% excluded the people who come to MacRumors daily (or even sporadically). Those are the informed. The majority will have no idea what Google has done, and will continue to use it.
 
Trius said:
People still use AOL?!? lolwat???
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Yeah, all of my friends use it. It's way better than anything else out there. I'd like to switch to Google since it's a little more secure, but their messaging system is super weak. And why don't people get that you can just put the IMAP servers into Mail instead of going on the online service? I've only been to aol.com about 5 times in my life.

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WilliamLondon said:
I propose we shut Google down as a company. This isn't even the first breach we've discovered.
Click to expand...

Have fun with Yahoo then :p
 
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WilliamLondon said:
You may not value *your* privacy or feel that it's adequately protected, but I value mine and everyone else's. Forgiving them for this breach is akin to giving permission to others to continue doing it or to start anew. We either have privacy in society or we don't - there isn't grey area here, this isn't something you can compromise, it's absolute.

What I do is my business and my business only, the fact I have to take steps to ensure that happens is bad enough (privacy should be *default*). The fact that companies bypass this is is a violation of trust. The fact they profit off the information gleaned from this breach is not satisfied by a mere hand-waving on the part of apologists, and $22.5M is nothing. They gambled and won. Ka-ching!

Google is pure evil, this story is just one example (we know about) of many of their ongoing wrongdoings.
Click to expand...

Really, so you think that anonymous mass data collection is a violation of your privacy? I just don't understand why that would matter to anyone at all. That's like complaining about those crash reports Mac OS sends.

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Technarchy said:
You like when Google breaks your security measures? Think about that before you answer.
Click to expand...

I don't like it, nor do I care. In fact, they can't because of my AdBlock, which blocks the ads that give me the cookie.

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Pianoblack3 said:
Suit yourself, but being watched 24/7 harms my privacy.
Click to expand...

Worry about those satellites then. And 80% of Americans believe that they are being watched at all times.

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WilliamLondon said:
I propose we shut Google down as a company. This isn't even the first breach we've discovered.
Click to expand...

Well, since their money is all from ads, using AdBlock seriously harms them. I haven't generated any revenue for Google in years, not because I'm boycotting them but because I just don't want to see/load ads. So if you want to boycott them, block the ads.
 
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WilliamLondon said:
What I do is my business and my business only, the fact I have to take steps to ensure that happens is bad enough (privacy should be *default*)
Click to expand...

When you interact with other parties, that becomes their business, too. When you visit my website, your actions become my business. If you visit my web site and view the ads placed there, your what you looked at is my business.

If you want privacy, don't interact with the world, other people and, as recommended by Google's last CEO, if you are engaging in activities that you don't want people to know about, do not do them on the internet.

Such a simple point, yet so many struggle with it.
 
AlmostThere said:
When you interact with other parties, that becomes their business, too. When you visit my website, your actions become my business. If you visit my web site and view the ads placed there, your what you looked at is my business.

If you want privacy, don't interact with the world, other people and, as recommended by Google's last CEO, if you are engaging in activities that you don't want people to know about, do not do them on the internet.

Such a simple point, yet so many struggle with it.
Click to expand...

I get the IP address of everyone who visits my site ;)
 
faroZ06 said:
Have fun with Yahoo then :p
Click to expand...

Ixquick is one I use. I admit they're not as fast, nor sometimes as comprehensive, but they do protect your privacy first and foremost.

faroZ06 said:
Really, so you think that anonymous mass data collection is a violation of your privacy? I just don't understand why that would matter to anyone.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is a violation of my privacy, thank goodness at least one government agency agrees. It matters to me. What I don't understand is why anyone would defend something that bothers me, especially when they're *not* bothered. I would ask this apologist, "do you have something against my happiness or my valuing my privacy or both?"

faroZ06 said:
That's like complaining about those crash reports Mac OS sends.
Click to expand...

Those are voluntary, and they let you control the sending of them. It'd be like your indicating with a crash report, "No, don't send a report to Apple" and Apple sending the report anyway, along with a history of the sites you recently visited. :eek:
 
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