Tag Archives: Privacy policy

European Countries Fed Up With Google’s Privacy Policy.

15 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by in European Union, France, Germany, Intellectual Property, International Law, Internet, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom

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Dutch Authority To Google: Change Privacy Policy Or Else, by Lock Essers, PCWorld

http://tinyurl.com/n6h5b7y

If Google doesn’t change how it handles users’ private data by the end of February, it may face fines of €15 million (about US$18.6 million), the Dutch Privacy Authority said Monday.

Google’s current privacy policy breaches several provisions of the Dutch data protection act, the regulator found in an investigation in 2013. In particular, the probe showed that Google breaches the law when it combines data from different services like search queries, location data and videos watched.

‘Google catches us in an invisible web of our personal data without telling us and without asking us for our consent. This has been ongoing since 2012 and we hope our patience will no longer be tested,’ said Jacob Kohnstamm, chairman of the Dutch DPA.

By the end of February, Google should get ‘unambiguous consent’ from its users before it combines personal data from different Google services to serve targeted ads, the DPA said. This could for instance be achieved by introducing a separate consent window.

Moreover, Google should also give clear and consistent information in its privacy policy to people who use several Google services. . . .

Facebook And Its Big Brother Complex.

19 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Recent Links and Articles

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Facebook: You Post It, We Can See It, And That’s That, by Zach Miners, PC World

http://tinyurl.com/lqylv3j

If you still think that Facebook allows you to have control over your privacy and no one is collecting your data, I have a dry well in Oklahoma that I know you’ll just love. Call me. -CCE

In fact, Facebook doesn’t think it would make sense to let users do that.

‘With most online services, there’s an understanding that when you use those services to share information, you’re also sharing information with the company providing the service,’ said Matt Scutari, manager of privacy and public policy at Facebook.

‘For users who are truly concerned with sharing their information with a particular platform, honestly, you might not want to share information with that platform,’ he said, speaking during a conference on digital privacy in Palo Alto, California, on Friday.

‘I don’t think there are many services out there who could claim they’re not using your information that you’re sharing with them for any purpose. They have to at least use that information to provide the service,’ he added.

Scutari was responding to a question from the audience about what tools, if any, Facebook might provide to people who want to post and share information but keep it from Facebook itself.

Lately, the company has been trying to improve its controls for sharing among friends. In September it introduced a ‘privacy checkup’ feature. And just this week it released a revamped privacy policy designed to be easier to use. The company also gives users information about how their data is used for advertising. But it has never offered users tools to limit what data Facebook can ingest when they share.

Data collection—what companies collect, and how it’s used—is an area of concern for Internet users in general, highlighted by some dramatic findings in a recent Pew survey. . . .

The Search Engine That Doesn’t Track You Just Got Better – DuckDuckGo.

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by in Legal Technology, Search Engines

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DuckDuckGo, The Search Engine That Doesn’t Track You, Makes Terrific Overhaul Official, by Zach Miners, PC World

http://tinyurl.com/os4eyxr

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-themed search engine, has received a major redesign with enhanced search tools that could usher in a wave of new users.

The tools, announced Tuesday, include a variety of requested changes, including auto-suggest and local search, that make the site function more like Google, but with DuckDuckGo’s privacy promises still in place. 

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DuckDuckGo’s search engine is one of a number of online services that have gained increased attention following disclosures around government surveillance leaked last year by former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. According to its privacy policy, DuckDuckGo keeps no record of users’ searches, prevents them from being leaked to other sites, and does not log IP addresses. The site still has ads, but they’re not targeted using personal details. . . .

Android Flashlight App Violated Users’ Privacy By Secretly Sharing Information.

27 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in Android Phones, Apps, Cell Phones, Federal Trade Commission, Legal Technology, Privacy

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Android Flashlight App Developer Settles FTC Charges It Deceived Consumers, Federal Trade Commission

http://tinyurl.com/o7fecue

This flashlight app seemed like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, it secretly shared its users’ information with advertisers and other third parties without the users’ knowledge. -CCE

The creator of one of the most popular apps for Android mobile devices has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the free app, which allows a device to be used as a flashlight, deceived consumers about how their geolocation information would be shared with advertising networks and other third parties.

Goldenshores Technologies, LLC, managed by Erik M. Geidl, is the company behind the ‘Brightest Flashlight Free’ app, which has been downloaded tens of millions of times by users of the Android operating system. The FTC’s complaint alleges that the company’s privacy policy deceptively failed to disclose that the app transmitted users’ precise location and unique device identifier to third parties, including advertising networks. In addition, the complaint alleges that the company deceived consumers by presenting them with an option to not share their information, even though it was shared automatically rendering the option meaningless.