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Google Under Fire for Circumvention of Cookie Settings in Safari for iOS to Track Users

Swift said:
You can't just say, Google did something despicable, can you? It was Apple's policy that any software that even reads your contact information had to ask your permission.
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Actually I can. But "dispicable" to me is subjective. I don't like what Google did at all. I don't think any of my posts said I liked what they did. I just stated that given the choice between my contacts and web history - I choose web history to be exploited.

And yes - see my earlier posts. It was Apple's policy. And they permitted Apps that not only failed to meet that policy but others of similar nature.

So if despicable is the word you want to use - then I say both companies have acted in such a manner.
 
Eric Schmidt may no longer be CEO but the fact that Google was run by a man who said that "Google policy is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it" indicates its blatant disregard for privacy concerns.

Disgusting.
 
miknos said:
That's what you should expect from a company that makes money by gathering user data.

For search, use DuckDuckGo.
If you want social, use Facebook, Twitter. Not Google Plus. Even better, don't use any.
For email, you have a plethora of options. Use them with your favorite mail application (Apple's Mail, Thunderbird, Sparrow...)

Just boycott Google.
Click to expand...

Just move to China. Google has been banned there~ :D
 
What a weird conversation to read. If this was a browser other than Safari, the conversation would start with:

"Security flaw in browser xxx allows tracking of cookies without user permission"

And the conversation would then proceed to bash the hell out of the browser and the company that made the browser.
 
guch20 said:
I love that fAndroid nerds are blaming Apple for this: "It's clearly Apple's fault for leaving such a large loophole. How could Google not exploit it?"

"It's clearly Mr. Jones' fault that his car got stolen, your honor. He left the keys in the car. How could I not steal it?"
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Um, your example is the reality actually. No insurance company will pay up to someone who got their car stolen because they left the keys in the car. I believe it's even illegal to do si

cire said:
I like Disney. I like BMW. I like Ferrari. I like the Red Cross. I love Apple. I hate Enron.

Maybe it's just me, but seems like most people do have a like/love/hate relationship with companies, not just their products.
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Most people in general, no. Most people on an internet forum related to a certain brand, ofcourse.
 
dethmaShine said:
It's unbelievable how you're on an Apple board always criticising Apple and defending Google. I'm not asking you to defend Apple at all but so much criticism without reasoning is outrageous. Moreover, defending Google for such a horrible thing is... man I'll leave it to you.
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I am always defending google? Hardly. And please go back and read my posts. I was never defending google. I was holding both Apple and Google to the very same standards I have in regards to privacy.

I don't forgive Apple for not tending to their walled garden. I don't forgive Google for exploiting security holes in someone else's software.

Both companies need to take security and privacy issues EXTREMELY seriously. All the time. It's very hard (and can take a long time) to gain a customer's trust. It's VERY easy to lose it very quickly.
 
miknos said:
That's what you should expect from a company that makes money by gathering user data.

For search, use DuckDuckGo.
If you want social, use Facebook, Twitter. Not Google Plus. Even better, don't use any.
For email, you have a plethora of options. Use them with your favorite mail application (Apple's Mail, Thunderbird, Sparrow...)

Just boycott Google.
Click to expand...

I love GMail. Boycotting is not the solution.
 
Mass action suit - count me in.

I take my privacy seriously and block cookies and have two types of anti spyware running continuously. This is disgraceful and 100% underhand behaviour by Google. I hope that legislators throw the book at them, with serious fines being imposed and senior executives being threatened with prison sentences. If there is a Mass action suit, I will join and contribute to a fighting fund. As an earlier poster said, this is the sort of behaviour expected from a Balkan malware maker.
 
Vegasman said:
What a weird conversation to read. If this was a browser other than Safari, the conversation would start with:

"Security flaw in browser xxx allows tracking of cookies without user permission"

And the conversation would then proceed to bash the hell out of the browser and the company that made the browser.
Click to expand...

you left out the part where Google actively exploited a vulnerability.
 
samcraig said:
Actually I can. But "dispicable" to me is subjective. I don't like what Google did at all. I don't think any of my posts said I liked what they did. I just stated that given the choice between my contacts and web history - I choose web history to be exploited.

And yes - see my earlier posts. It was Apple's policy. And they permitted Apps that not only failed to meet that policy but others of similar nature.

So if despicable is the word you want to use - then I say both companies have acted in such a manner.
Click to expand...

This news story is about Google leeching your web history and has nothing to do with what Apple did with their privacy policy in the app store (which isn't good either .. but unrelated).
Criticize Apple for being to slow to close the loophole or to introduce none standard behavior in the first place.

T.
 
miknos said:
That's what you should expect from a company that makes money by gathering user data.

For search, use DuckDuckGo.
If you want social, use Facebook, Twitter. Not Google Plus. Even better, don't use any.
For email, you have a plethora of options. Use them with your favorite mail application (Apple's Mail, Thunderbird, Sparrow...)

Just boycott Google.
Click to expand...

Facebook vs Google Plus...? Hard call...
 
samcraig said:
I am always defending google? Hardly. And please go back and read my posts. I was never defending google. I was holding both Apple and Google to the very same standards I have in regards to privacy.

I don't forgive Apple for not tending to their walled garden. I don't forgive Google for exploiting security holes in someone else's software.

Both companies need to take security and privacy issues EXTREMELY seriously. All the time. It's very hard (and can take a long time) to gain a customer's trust. It's VERY easy to lose it very quickly.
Click to expand...

But this is a no-story, right? Just what you said?
 
miknos said:
That's what you should expect from a company that makes money by gathering user data.

For search, use DuckDuckGo.
If you want social, use Facebook, Twitter. Not Google Plus. Even better, don't use any.
For email, you have a plethora of options. Use them with your favorite mail application (Apple's Mail, Thunderbird, Sparrow...)

Just boycott Google.
Click to expand...

lol .. because Facebook is any better :)

If you use the internet you are being tracked by numerous sources at different levels. This was actually a rather unpleasent extreme, but seriously, if you don't want a company accumulating data about you and your preferences, don't go online. Certainly do not use Facebook or Amazon or Twitter or whatever .. they are all in the same business.
 
Apple does the same...


- «Apple: "We stopped supporting Carrier IQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update."»

- «[...]apps for iOS accessed users' contact information and uploaded that data to servers, all without any explicit permission granted on the user's part.»

- «By now you've no doubt heard about a certain iOS database file called consolidated.db. It made quite a splash yesterday when a pair of researchers, Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden, from O'Reilly Media announced the iPhone tracking software the duo had discovered hidden on the phones.»

- «Apple: "We may collect information such as occupation, language, zip code, area code, unique device identifier, location, and the time zone where an Apple product is used so that we can better understand customer behavior and improve our products, services, and advertising."»

They're all the same, and its not "evil".
 
If I used Safari, or allowed my browser to show me ads, I'd be so annoyed by this!

----------
thenerdal said:
Apple does the same...


- «Apple: "We stopped supporting Carrier IQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update."»

- «[...]apps for iOS accessed users' contact information and uploaded that data to servers, all without any explicit permission granted on the user's part.»

- «By now you've no doubt heard about a certain iOS database file called consolidated.db. It made quite a splash yesterday when a pair of researchers, Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden, from O'Reilly Media announced the iPhone tracking software the duo had discovered hidden on the phones.»

- «Apple: "We may collect information such as occupation, language, zip code, area code, unique device identifier, location, and the time zone where an Apple product is used so that we can better understand customer behavior and improve our products, services, and advertising."»

They're all the same, and its not "evil".
Click to expand...
Your lack of understanding continues to amaze.
 
MacRumors said:
...that the loophole that had permitted Google to bypass Safari's privacy protections has been closed in WebKit...
Click to expand...

So wait: actually you were saying that there's a security hole in Apple's Safari, right?

But "Google under attack" sounds so more delightful...rrrright!
 
Can someone please forward this "privacy intrusion" to the European Union watchdogs? Last I heared, you have to prompt to be tracked and without agreement, there are nice sets of fines for companies like Google.

PS: Do you think the Android phone users can opt out of being tracked? :D
 
till213 said:
So wait: actually you were saying that there's a security hole in Apple's Safari, right?

But "Google under attack" sounds so more delightful...rrrright!
Click to expand...

Do you not understand the severity of this issue? Bugs are in every goddamn software. Companies like Google shouldn't exploit them for their own benefits.
 
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cire said:
I used to like and respect Google. I stopped respecting Google not because of what Steve Jobs said, but because of their and their executives actions...and once I stop respecting them, I choose to dislike them. Too bad you don't grant people with different opinions the respect that they may be able to make up their own minds.

I did begin to dislike Flash when Steve mentioned it, but that's because I stopped, looked and started to realize how many crashes I would suffer whenever I was using it. But it was all Steve's fault, right?
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I have to ask,

Other than this incident, when has google done something to annoy you? I'm not saying you've not got your reasons, but would you share the specific issues that make you hate them so much?
 
Sadly, this is the reality that people conveniently choose to disregard. Heck, even B&M stores like Target use personal information for marketing. Even the privacy concerns surrounding Facebook (anyone remember Beacon?) subside and regenerate themselves as Timelines, with which few people find issue. It's only when the media characterizes the behavior as nefarious that people become concerned.

tatonka said:
lol .. because Facebook is any better :)

If you use the internet you are being tracked by numerous sources at different levels. This was actually a rather unpleasent extreme, but seriously, if you don't want a company accumulating data about you and your preferences, don't go online. Certainly do not use Facebook or Amazon or Twitter or whatever .. they are all in the same business.
Click to expand...
 
dethmaShine said:
You've got anything but praise for Android/Google in all your posts. Not even gonna go through your post history again. Just relax. It's quite observant to involve Apple when blame is on Google. Keep defending.
Click to expand...

I find this "argument" or proof point if you want to call it, silly. Just because someone is critical of a company doesn't mean they own the competition. Nor does praising a company mean you own their tech.

In fact - if anything - I might lean towards being more critical of technology I own because - it's technology I own.

And isn't it entirely possible that people on tech on both android AND iOS? I know I do. But only for the past week.

I have 2 iMacs, a MacBook Pro, an iPod Touch, iPhone 4 (now not activated), iPad 1st gen, 2 Apple TVs and oh yeah - I just got a Samsung Skyrocket which is Android.

Clearly I am all about google. All about Android. And definitely a fAndroid because one of the devices in my home is not made by Apple. You caught me!
 
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