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Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

nytimes.com

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Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#11

Post by dotcoma »

LucaDuval wrote: post #8
dotcoma wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's an obsession with privacy - on the contrary, I wished Italy took privacy more seriously. Italy is just a very old and backward country, with many people that simply don't have a clue about what is going on...

It is true that Italians don't care much about privacy but old and backward? Italy is neither old (Italy was born as a state in 1861) nor backward. The problem is that our prime minister has a personal interest in shutting down as much as possible the web as a news/social service. It is possible to argue that, as you said, "many people don't have a clue what is going on" but I believe it applies to most (all?) other…

I'm Italian as well. IMHO Italy is the most backward country I've ever been to.

And yes, old. The President of the Republic is 84, the Prime Minister is 73...

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#12

Post by jacquesm »

DeusExMachina wrote: post #6
drtse4 wrote: post #2

Can you imagine the burden of opening a site a la facebook in a place like that? This is not a new approach, and that's the reason why you will never see a site like myspace/facebook/netlog/whatever... based in a privacy (with a distorted view of privacy) obsessed place like italy. Just sad.

I'm Italian and I can tell you that things here are even worse. This is why I based my startup in London and now I'm relocating to another country. To add something more to this piece of news: Google, with YouTube, is disturbing our televisions, owned or controlled by our prime minister Berlusconi, by competing with them and spreading news that are hidden or distorted in TV. This will not be the last attack Google fa…

> To add something more to this piece of news: Google, with YouTube, is disturbing our televisions, owned or controlled by our prime minister Berlusconi, by competing with them and spreading news that are hidden or distorted in TV. This will not be the last attack Google faces from Italy.

That's my take on it as well, I think these 'privacy concerns' are just a cheap way to use a disabled person to garner sympathy for the crusade against big bad google that is offering Italian consumers alternative video content that does not come from 'Papi'.

Berlusconi ought to be the one in the docket. But then he'll just pass another law that exempts him...

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#13

Post by davidw »

dotcoma wrote: post #11
LucaDuval wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is true that Italians don't care much about privacy but old and backward? Italy is neither old (Italy was born as a state in 1861) nor backward. The problem is that our prime minister has a personal interest in shutting down as much as possible the web as a news/social service. It is possible to argue that, as you said, "many people don't have a clue what is going on" but I believe it applies to most (all?) other…

I'm Italian as well. IMHO Italy is the most backward country I've ever been to. And yes, old. The President of the Republic is 84, the Prime Minister is 73...

Italy is old. Here are some facts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_median_age

Of course old doesn't necessarily mean bad. Japan, Germany, and Austria are all up there too and seem to be doing better than Italy.

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#14

Post by jacquesm »

davidw wrote: post #9

What's really amazing is reading the comments here (in Italian): http://vitadigitale.corriere.it/2010/02/processo_vivi_down_g... Most of them are aghast at the decision, but there is a reasonable number supporting the decision. Italy FAIL :-/

Don't blame the (ignorant?) people that are unable to read outside of their native tongue and that only get the state sponsored media, Berlusconi has an enormous amount of power, think of Rupert Murdoch as president or something to that effect and you get the picture.

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#15

Post by oscardelben »

davidw wrote: post #9

What's really amazing is reading the comments here (in Italian): http://vitadigitale.corriere.it/2010/02/processo_vivi_down_g... Most of them are aghast at the decision, but there is a reasonable number supporting the decision. Italy FAIL :-/

I read those comments, and I would say they are all from people who don't even know what the web is, because if you know what the web is, you can't even think that this is reasonable. Don't forget that here in italy there are a lot of people who have no idea what the internet is and how it works.

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#16

Post by oscardelben »

DeusExMachina wrote: post #6
drtse4 wrote: post #2

Can you imagine the burden of opening a site a la facebook in a place like that? This is not a new approach, and that's the reason why you will never see a site like myspace/facebook/netlog/whatever... based in a privacy (with a distorted view of privacy) obsessed place like italy. Just sad.

I'm Italian and I can tell you that things here are even worse. This is why I based my startup in London and now I'm relocating to another country. To add something more to this piece of news: Google, with YouTube, is disturbing our televisions, owned or controlled by our prime minister Berlusconi, by competing with them and spreading news that are hidden or distorted in TV. This will not be the last attack Google fa…

Why are we taking for granted that it's always Berlusconi behind these facts? I want to remember you that everyone who has some power here is corrupted, so while it may be the case, it's not certain who made the decision here.

I don't want to defend Berlusconi here, but if we continue to blame him by default we will never see the truth.

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#17

Post by davidw »

jacquesm wrote: post #14
davidw wrote: post #9

What's really amazing is reading the comments here (in Italian): http://vitadigitale.corriere.it/2010/02/processo_vivi_down_g... Most of them are aghast at the decision, but there is a reasonable number supporting the decision. Italy FAIL :-/

Don't blame the (ignorant?) people that are unable to read outside of their native tongue and that only get the state sponsored media, Berlusconi has an enormous amount of power, think of Rupert Murdoch as president or something to that effect and you get the picture.

I get the picture very much, having lived in Italy on and off over the past 15 years. You can say what you want about Berlusconi (and I regularly do), but you can't lay all the blame at his feet, either. Romano Prodi managed to beat him twice at the polls, despite all his media power. Those people are arguing for that decision with their own twisted logic and of their own volition.

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#18

Post by DeusExMachina »

jacquesm wrote: post #12
DeusExMachina wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm Italian and I can tell you that things here are even worse. This is why I based my startup in London and now I'm relocating to another country. To add something more to this piece of news: Google, with YouTube, is disturbing our televisions, owned or controlled by our prime minister Berlusconi, by competing with them and spreading news that are hidden or distorted in TV. This will not be the last attack Google fa…

> To add something more to this piece of news: Google, with YouTube, is disturbing our televisions, owned or controlled by our prime minister Berlusconi, by competing with them and spreading news that are hidden or distorted in TV. This will not be the last attack Google faces from Italy. That's my take on it as well, I think these 'privacy concerns' are just a cheap way to use a disabled person to garner sympathy fo…

> I think these 'privacy concerns' are just a cheap way to use a disabled person to garner sympathy for the crusade against big bad google that is offering Italian consumers alternative video content that does not come from 'Papi'.

Exactly. The main concerns of the government right now about internet are YouTube and Facebook, because they are the main channels on which news spread.

Mediaset, the Berlusconi Company owning all his televisions also sued Google for copyright of content published on YouTube. Every television in the world is working with Google to remove this content or to profit from it. Berlusconi is the only one who attacks it to take it down.

This week there has also been a similar case on Facebook, for a stupid group on down children. The government is trying every now and then to find excuses to pass laws against internet freedom.

> Berlusconi ought to be the one in the docket. But then he'll just pass another law that exempts him...

The saddest thing about this is that it is true. He already passed 19 laws just to avoid jail, and he is about to pass another two...

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#19

Post by volomike »

Tsk. Why do web companies even worry about a problem like this? If it were me, I'd simply redirect all Italian web traffic from my site and onto a black page with a short explanation of the problem. And I'd make the switch at 1am. If my company were as popular as Google is, within a few short minutes there would be massive outrage such that politicians, journalists, judges, and police officers would be awoken from sleep. There would be huge protests in the streets the next morning or a day later. Governments would never make a screw-up that severe ever again.

In fact, in light of how this case was handled in Italy, if I were Google, I'd be doing that very thing right now until Italy changes their laws to make it crystal clear that Google should not be held accountable.

Re: Italian Court Convicts 3 Google Execs of Violating Privacy

#20

Post by drtse4 »

DeusExMachina wrote: post #6
drtse4 wrote: post #2

Can you imagine the burden of opening a site a la facebook in a place like that? This is not a new approach, and that's the reason why you will never see a site like myspace/facebook/netlog/whatever... based in a privacy (with a distorted view of privacy) obsessed place like italy. Just sad.

I'm Italian and I can tell you that things here are even worse. This is why I based my startup in London and now I'm relocating to another country. To add something more to this piece of news: Google, with YouTube, is disturbing our televisions, owned or controlled by our prime minister Berlusconi, by competing with them and spreading news that are hidden or distorted in TV. This will not be the last attack Google fa…

I'm italian too and can easily understand why you decided not to base your business here (hope to do the same someday). I really don't like where the current events are leading the nation, silvio is only one of the nation's problems, and if the nation doesn't change its ways, well... italy is doomed.

p.s. doomed like in "doomed to became again a place known only for its cheap and not specialized labor"

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