Google reportedly fined $22.5M for bypassing Safari privacy settings

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 68


    I almost ordered a Nexus 7. Then I remembered how much Google respects my privacy. In light of this I don't understand how anyone could trust Chrome as a browser. This incedent has certainly stopped me from installing it anywhere else.

  • Reply 22 of 68
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by EMoeller View Post


    A very good question that I asked myself at the time.   I installed a Cookie Tracker/Blocker (Abine. com) and was shocked at the numbers (over 115,000 to date!).   Like most people I get thousands of spam emails per month and even with a spam filter it takes me about 6 hours per month to sort through that junk.  So that's 72 hours per year (or just under two weeks of work time).  



    You might want to consider a service to handle that for you, that is if you value your time in dollars. I can recommend MXLogic who we have been using for years. I'm not sure of the cost since we have a corporate account but I think it is pretty reasonable and absolutely effective. I never receive spam, and believe me when I tell you, I am on every imaginable list since I have had the same email address since 1994.

  • Reply 23 of 68
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lotones View Post


     


    The browser was free from Apple. How does that give Google the right to hack my privacy settings?



     


    Your "rights" regarding privacy are part of the software users agreement whenever you use that piece of software and in turn, are limited by whatever is written into the agreement. "Rights" are inherent and they cannot be given or taken, however there is no "right to privacy" in the Constitution. It is only partially addressed in the Bill of Rights (freedom of speech, protections against unreasonable search and seizure, etc.), but those have nothing to do with perceived "rights" on the Internet. You need to re-read the founding documents.

  • Reply 24 of 68
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,212member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bloodstains View Post


    I almost ordered a Nexus 7. Then I remembered how much Google respects my privacy. In light of this I don't understand how anyone could trust Chrome as a browser. This incedent has certainly stopped me from installing it anywhere else.



    Tho I'm sure there's plenty of room for improvements, Google does offers quite a bit of transparency about the data collected on you, and lots of ways to control it.


    http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/tools/


     


    I'm sure that Apple has a similar page showing what they've collected and ways to remove and limit it it, as does Facebook and Microsoft. Perhaps someone here could supply the links for comparison.

  • Reply 25 of 68

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    Google offers a lot of transparency about the data collected on you, and lots of ways to control it.


    http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/tools/


     


    I'm sure that Apple has a similar page showing what they've collected and ways to remove it, as does Facebook and Microsoft. Perhaps someone here could supply the links.



    The point is they've already proven they're willing to ignore my privacy requests. Once you breech someone's trust you'll find in life it's much harder to earn it back.

  • Reply 26 of 68
    lotoneslotones Posts: 58member


    Quote:



    Originally Posted by lotones View Post


     


    The browser was free from Apple. How does that give Google the right to hack my privacy settings?



     


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


     


    Your "rights" regarding privacy are part of the software users agreement whenever you use that piece of software and in turn, are limited by whatever is written into the agreement. "Rights" are inherent and they cannot be given or taken, however there is no "right to privacy" in the Constitution. It is only partially addressed in the Bill of Rights (freedom of speech, protections against unreasonable search and seizure, etc.), but those have nothing to do with perceived "rights" on the Internet. You need to re-read the founding documents.



     


    ?


     


    "Do no evil" = do whatever you want, sell shares to the people who write and enforce legislation, and pay the small fines. 

  • Reply 27 of 68
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,212member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bloodstains View Post


    The point is they've already proven they're willing to ignore my privacy requests. Once you breech someone's trust you'll find in life it's much harder to earn it back.



    Harder or impossible?


     


    Anyway, perhaps you have a link to pages showing the data some of the others have collected about you personally?

  • Reply 28 of 68
    timmydaxtimmydax Posts: 284member
    lotones wrote: »
    While you're white knighting Google let's look at the scorecard here

    mstone wrote: »
    Impossible! They had to write some vary specific Javascript code

    Giving them the benefit of the doubt isn't saying much. They seem to claim circumventing the security setting was for Google+ and Account holders (who have little to no privacy rights) but... um... the monkeys escaped and... someone slipped on the f everyone button?

    Even if what they preach is somewhat partially kinda true ...ish...

    ...and that's a big if, admittedly...

    ...they clearly have no sense whatsoever that what they do might be a teensy bit dubious, and the bigger crime is the amount of money they make (ie. all of it) selling all our data we generously and graciously provide them with (anonymously!) every second. After all, apart from ad space on Google.com, what else do they have?

    That's enough for me.
  • Reply 29 of 68
    markbyrnmarkbyrn Posts: 661member


    This is bad news - they're actually having to pull out the couches at Google HQ to find the spare change to pay the fine.  

  • Reply 30 of 68

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    Harder or impossible?


     


    Anyway, perhaps you have a link to pages showing the data some of the others have collected about you personally?



    Harder.


     


    What others? And why would I share my personal info with you or the Internet?

  • Reply 31 of 68
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by bloodstains View Post

    In light of this I don't understand how anyone could trust Chrome as a browser.


     


    Or Google as an advertising service entirely, since it affected Safari users.

  • Reply 32 of 68
    just_mejust_me Posts: 590member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bloodstains View Post


    Harder.


     


    What others? And why would I share my personal info with you or the Internet?



    Apple tracks/collects info on you via user/device ID. They keep what data they collect a secret.


     


    Nothing in the world is free. Like this site and others, advertisement keeps it running.

  • Reply 33 of 68
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,212member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bloodstains View Post


    Harder.


     


    What others? And why would I share my personal info with you or the Internet?



    You don't need to list your info. That would be silly. Give me a link to the pages where I can see what Apple or Microsoft or Facebook has collected on me.

  • Reply 34 of 68
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by Just_Me View Post

    Apple tracks/collects info on you via user/device ID. They keep what data they collect a secret.


     


    Do they? Like what?


     


    And if the data they take is a secret, how do you know they're taking data at all? It's a secret…

  • Reply 35 of 68

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Just_Me View Post


    Apple tracks/collects info on you via user/device ID. They keep what data they collect a secret.


     


    Nothing in the world is free. Like this site and others, advertisement keeps it running.




    I didn't tell Apple not to collect my info; I suspect if I had they would have respected my request. It's one of the benifits Apple enjoys from not having broken my trust.


     


    You're arguments are generic and do not address the point I've made.


     


     


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    You don't need to list your info. That would be silly. Give me a link to the pages where I can see what Apple or Microsoft or Facebook has collected on me.



    Why?

  • Reply 36 of 68
    just_mejust_me Posts: 590member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


     


    Do they? Like what?


     


    And if the data they take is a secret, how do you know they're taking data at all? It's a secret…



    its not a secret that the track data on you.


     


    https://developer.apple.com/iad/


     


    you can opt out


    http://gigaom.com/apple/quick-tip-opt-out-of-iad-data-collection/


    http://oo.apple.com

  • Reply 37 of 68
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,212member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bloodstains View Post


    Why?



    Why not? Surely you don't mind being helpful and pointing to the pages where I can request tracking be stopped and information already gathered is erased. I am aware of Apple having an opt-out page for iAd specifically. 

  • Reply 38 of 68
    ghostface147ghostface147 Posts: 1,629member


    Where's my check?

  • Reply 39 of 68
    just_mejust_me Posts: 590member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bloodstains View Post


     


    I didn't tell Apple not to collect my info; I suspect if I had they would have respected my request. It's one of the benifits Apple enjoys from not having broken my trust.


     


    You're arguments are generic and do not address the point I've made.


     


     


    Why?



     


    you have to opt out.


     


    Did you opt in for path and other apps to take your contact list? No. 


    http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/02/15/us_congressmen_send_letter_to_apple_inquiring_about_ios_address_book_security.html

  • Reply 40 of 68
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    That's a few hours of profit for Apple. While I don't agree with the decision the UK judge made toward Apple I do like the punishment. Having companies pay a fine that is a few million dollars will not discourage this behavior in the future.
    This is the basic problem, this is chump change for Google ! To be effective such actions should put a business at risk. At the very least the fine is off by an order of magnitude.
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