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Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

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101–110 of 402 posts

Re: Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

#101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> why isn't [...] Was there a case against Google already that bans this or something? According to [1], "The DOJ maintains Google should have suspended its auto-delete practices by 2019, when it was clear litigation was coming." I found more details in [2] on the legal topic of evidence spoliation that might be interesting, though I'm not a lawyer and don't know what which law(s) are relevant in this case. > And cou…

Thanks. The law is kind of silly. A chat system that doesn't store history is functionally equivalent to an unrecorded call, but I'm guessing they would not consider an unrecorded call destruction of evidence.

No, the chat system recorded history for 24 hours and then deleted it. Google had a legal obligation to proactively find and turn off all the automatic deletion system that could delete potentially relevant records. That's just how the law works, every big corp knows how to do it.

Re: Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

#102

I moved from an HFT firm to Google. The attitude difference with respect to document holds was hilarious. At the HFT firm, the attitude was, "we're constantly being sued (by the SEC and others), so we treat all of our records like they're under litigation holds, just in case the SEC claims they wanted them, even the off-topic slack channels." At Google, the attitude was, "we're constantly getting sued, so we treat al…

This probably isn't because of litigation holds, actually, this is because finance firms are under SEC record-keeping rules, which require the preservation of ALL internal written communications, regardless of whether they're currently being sued or not. It's a bit of a different beast. See https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-02-02/the-se... which covers some ... interesting recent developments of this ru…

I knew it was Matt Levine before clicking on the link. His column is always a pleasurable read.

Re: Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

#103
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://support.google.com/vault/answer/7664657?hl=en

mmm i'm looking for the legal documentation/language that requires google to hold the data for this particular topic. because i'm in agreement with the grandparent comment that why is the topic subject to legal holds vs just having a meeting in person? Are in person meetings rquired to have a voice recorder present? it seems like a weird legal precedent.

You asked for documentation of legal holds. Pardon me for interpreting that as such and providing a link to Google’s legal hold documentation.

It sounds like you are looking for the laws “that requires google to hold the data for this particular topic.”

Re: Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

#104
post #86

None of this is particularly surprising, but it's very amusing to see the litigation go this route. It's incredible common for corporate legal to recommend purging data or communications no longer relevant, or to advise avoiding specific means of communication (like email) due to retention challenges. It's incredibly dumb to explicitly discuss avoiding leading a paper trail with respect to subjects where litigation i…

On a tangential but somewhat intertwined note: Australia has recently had multiple data breaches across a number of large groups that saw decades of user data copied .. that should have been PURGED . Some of it arguably should never have been retained - proof of identity data, addresses, passport numbers, etc. Obviously this isn't the same as internal emails, chat histories, etc but I'm hoping we here in Australia se…

Customer private data and internal employee communications are totally different things. What you’re saying applies only to the former.

Re: Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All phone conversations are recorded and kept for at least 7 years. This is in addition to all email and slack/IM messages.

The work Android or iPhone records calls? Is it even possible

It's all just data, isn't it?

Route it all through VoIP and record it there?

Maybe theres some bank-compliance phone vendor that operates its own MVNO and does the recording for you?

here's something like that - https://www.teleware.com/products/mobile-voice-recording/

Re: Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

#106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which in some contexts makes sense. Losing all of your Facebook pictures is never going to be as devastating as losing your retirement.

I think its rather disingenuous or modest for tech to fall back on "whats the worst that can happen, maybe you lose some pictures from the cloud" as a defense for such a light touch. There's many areas in which tech competes directly with, or has attempted to build shadow parallel systems to other more regulated industries - payments, exchanges, various medical plays, media, etc.

all of those "disruptors" just makes me cringe every time i hear it now. there have been so many bad actors. paypal still seizing accounts because some automated thing made a decision that can't be shared as to why. seems like Stripe as been in the news for similar topics. then you get the ones like Uber just flagrantly doing shady things to get that disruption.

now, when i hear someone say disrupt, i immediately assume they are cutting corners on whatever regulation that is needed to gain a leg up over the incumbent companies following the regulations.

Re: Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

#107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but there's almost always someone on zoom/conference line in the meeting, which is recorded, so.. The penalties are so stiff for a lot of infractions, there is far less attempts to workaround the letter of the rules than you would immediately expect. There's also classes of in-person meetings with externals that you need pre-approval permission to attend and to write up what was discussed after the fact. Like peo…

I can only think to myself, well, yeah, that's what that industry gets for all of the bullshit shenanigans that have been pulled in the past. Is everyone commit flat out illegal shit like Wolf Of Wall St? No. But this is the only way to allow any semblance of trust by anyone. That being said, I personally believe every company if finance/banking is doing something shady somewhere, even if only a small number of peopl…

cool story, given the left-right populist-progressive agreement on regulating big tech.. its coming for the HN crowd next :-)

Re: Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

#108
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Finance is default not trusted. If documents are missing, fraud is presumed. Tech doesn’t seem to have reached that point just yet.

> Tech doesn’t seem to have reached that point just yet. It's on a high speed train heading in that direction now.

Luckily for these companies, they are US based, and high speed rail doesn't really exist there.

Re: Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

#109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This probably isn't because of litigation holds, actually, this is because finance firms are under SEC record-keeping rules, which require the preservation of ALL internal written communications, regardless of whether they're currently being sued or not. It's a bit of a different beast. See https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-02-02/the-se... which covers some ... interesting recent developments of this ru…

Yeah, as I understand it though, the SEC rules are to allow investigations (and "enforcement actions"/lawsuits) to happen quickly. I saw one of these "investigations" happening at one point and had no idea it was an investigation until I was casually informed that the strange people in the office were from the SEC and they had some questions about some trades, and that it happens all the time.

> the strange people in the office

What made them strange, other than the fact you didn't know who they were?

Re: Google CEO: “can we change the setting of this group to history-off” [pdf]

#110
Not sure if it matters, but all chats at Google default to history off (deleted after 24hrs). Turning on history only keeps messages for 30days and you have to do this for every single group chat, private chat, etc. There is no archive or long held messages like Slack.
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