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Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

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Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

#31

Post by Chabsff »

Apes wrote: post #7
foota wrote: post #2

This lawsuit is idiotic. They're claiming Google is doing something wrong by tracking users from websites using ad tech when someone uses their browsers private browsing mode.

There are the data privacy laws that mandate users be able to opt of tracking, and it should be pretty clear to a non-psychopathic company that a person using the private mode on their browser is opting out of any tracking. Google is one of the biggest companies in the world. Do they really need to be wringing their users as hard as they can to milk out every last drop of ad revenue potential?

You are asking that browsers announce to websites that the user has incognito mode enabled, which immediately opens the door to websites refusing to serve users running incognito mode at all.

Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

#32

Post by Romanulus »

hashberry wrote: post #27

I have a personal gmail and a work gmail (G Suite), each using my full name, but both run in separate browsers using the same IP address. I always wonder if Google keeps a "master record" of people and all their associations, if not for security or to work with law enforcement.

Probably. I recall Project Veritas showing hidden video of a Twitter dev speaking about databases that link all profiles of someone (using things like IPs, fingerprints, etc. to stitch the relationships together).

Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

#33

Post by TrowthePlow »

MattGaiser wrote: post #18
t0mas88 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it idiotic to expect Google to respect a users wish not to be tracked? Half the world has laws that require Google to ask permission. Using private browsing mode is a very clear indication the the user does not want to give them that permission. It's really not that hard. Google and Facebook just don't want to understand it.

> Using private browsing mode is a very clear indication the the user does not want to give them that permission. How? Incognito is meant to keep your history clear from other people who use the computer. It explicitly does nothing about websites tracking your activity.

Right, it says so in no uncertain terms, right on the page when you open Chrome's Incognito window:

>Your activity might still be visible to:

> - Websites you visit

> - Your employer or school

> - Your internet service provider

Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

#34

Post by monadic2 »

criddell wrote: post #24
dvduval wrote: post #16

I know that Google is making money through use of my personal data. I wish they would be required boldly state on every page that my personal data is being used, and that they are profiting from it. Finally, there should be some steps offered to remedy some of the above such as requesting that parts of the data that would be convenient for me to have deleted would be deleted. And the parts that are inconvenient such…

Would this work for you: WARNING! We use your personal data to improve your experience using Google products. We believe this will lead you using the service more often and, in doing so, see more ads which we profit from.

Hah as if it did improve the service compared to listening to basic product feedback. YouTube recommendations alone seem to cause people to lose hair, and that’s not even touching ads.

But what am I talking about! Google KNOWS scale, I’m sure it’ll come together eventually.

Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

#35

Post by ocdtrekkie »

Chabsff wrote: post #31
Apes wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are the data privacy laws that mandate users be able to opt of tracking, and it should be pretty clear to a non-psychopathic company that a person using the private mode on their browser is opting out of any tracking. Google is one of the biggest companies in the world. Do they really need to be wringing their users as hard as they can to milk out every last drop of ad revenue potential?

You are asking that browsers announce to websites that the user has incognito mode enabled, which immediately opens the door to websites refusing to serve users running incognito mode at all.

I think that's entirely fair: Websites should not track users who do not want to be tracked, but websites should decide whether or not to serve clients which aren't to be tracked.

Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

#36

Post by preommr »

dvduval wrote: post #16

I know that Google is making money through use of my personal data. I wish they would be required boldly state on every page that my personal data is being used, and that they are profiting from it. Finally, there should be some steps offered to remedy some of the above such as requesting that parts of the data that would be convenient for me to have deleted would be deleted. And the parts that are inconvenient such…

I fear that this would normalize the data collection process even more.

We're like a metaphorical frog slowly being boiled alive.

Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

#37

Post by mtgx »

criddell wrote: post #24
dvduval wrote: post #16

I know that Google is making money through use of my personal data. I wish they would be required boldly state on every page that my personal data is being used, and that they are profiting from it. Finally, there should be some steps offered to remedy some of the above such as requesting that parts of the data that would be convenient for me to have deleted would be deleted. And the parts that are inconvenient such…

Would this work for you: WARNING! We use your personal data to improve your experience using Google products. We believe this will lead you using the service more often and, in doing so, see more ads which we profit from.

But that's the thing. Through better tracking, they usually just improve the targeting for advertisers - improving the product itself is almost an afterthought compared to that objective.

To "improve the product" you don't need more than a few thousand session recordings of how people use your product.

Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

#38

Post by pinewurst »

t0mas88 wrote: post #9
foota wrote: post #2

This lawsuit is idiotic. They're claiming Google is doing something wrong by tracking users from websites using ad tech when someone uses their browsers private browsing mode.

Why is it idiotic to expect Google to respect a users wish not to be tracked? Half the world has laws that require Google to ask permission. Using private browsing mode is a very clear indication the the user does not want to give them that permission. It's really not that hard. Google and Facebook just don't want to understand it.

I think the OP doesn't mean it's idiotic for Google to respect a user's wish not be tracked. I believe he's referring to lawyers not understanding separation of browser and web services.

I was really hoping this would be a lawsuit about Google collection of information period, rather than a quibble like this. Please too remember that Boies etc are the same scumbags (and that's the correct term) who defended Theranos, harassing those who informed the government.

Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

#39

Post by bryanmgreen »

Here's a non-paywall article about the matter: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-google-privacy-l...

I think it's worth noting the class-action lawsuit is asking for at least $5 Billion

I'll also encourage the use of DuckDuckGo.com for your search and [1] uBlock Origin, [2] Searchonymous (it prevents google from tracking your searches if you're logged in to an account), and [3] Google Search Link fixer (removes link tracking from Google Search links) in Firefox, but would happily update if anyone has better recommendations.

[1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin...

[2] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/searchonymous...

[3] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/google-search...

Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data

#40

Post by dahfizz »

ve55 wrote: post #22

“We strongly dispute these claims and we will defend ourselves vigorously against them,” Castaneda said in an email. I wonder what it is they actually dispute, when the claims are so basic? Most popular websites use GA, so of course Google is watching every single user action across the Internet, regardless of if they have tried to 'opt out' via any methods, laws, processed, etc.

Obviously this article is written for the general public and not in legalese. But this line gives a hint:

> The suit includes claims for invasion of privacy and violations of federal wiretapping law.

The claims Google disputes is that they are breaking the law.

> I wonder what it is they actually dispute, when the claims are so basic.

The claims can be summarized basically, but proving that someone has broken the law in court is not basic. This basic overview of federal wiretapping laws is over 70 pages[1]. Laws are filled with specific minutia. Here is another good overview of privacy law[2]. Even though the statement "Google violated my privacy" seems simple and self evident, to prove it in a court of law there are tons of very specific criteria you have to prove.

[1] https://epic.org/privacy/wiretap/98-326.pdf [2] https://www.stimmel-law.com/en/articles/legal-right-privacy

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