They'll be dancing in the streets of Redmond tonight!
Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data
21–30 of 195 posts
Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data
#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.
Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apple also doesn't understand it as well as every browser and website in existence. This lawsuit is stupid.
That the others are behaving badly as well does not excuse Googles behaviour.
That every other website in existence is behaving "badly?" Do you think Chrome should tell the website that the user is browsing in incognito mode so that websites will treat them differently? For example, a paywall website with a free article limit would simply not show content to users saying they are in incognito mode.
Enabling incognito mode in Chrome and Firefox even explains that it doesn't stop server-side tracking, so it's not even misleading.
Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data
#24I 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.
Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data
#25This 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.
I agree with you, but I think the problem is a disconnect between what incognito actually does and what people think it does. That distinction is pretty obvious to people who have done any sort of web development, but it's hard to explain to the average user.
Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data
#26"According to the suit, the company collects information, including IP addresses and browsing histories, whenever users visit web pages or use an app tied to common Google services, such as Google Analytics and Google Ad Manager." I'd really appreciate some more technical details here. Does this include web server logs that record incoming IP addresses? Is the expectation here that Chrome would set a DNT header in in…
Server logs with IP addresses are acceptable to most European privacy regulators if you only use them for a technical purpose such as debugging. And not keep them longer than needed for that. So practically: logs are fine, delete them after a while. If you store the same information in a permanent database and use it for analysis you're in trouble and should have asked permission. The fact that the user uses a privat…
> The fact that the user uses a private window or other means to indicates they don't want to be tracked probably makes this a more clear case.
What about the fact that Incognito is so that "other people who use this device won't see your activity" and it doesn't do anything about tracking?
Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data
#27I 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.
Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data
#28This 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 was under the impression that it wasn't supposed to be possible for a website to tell that the page was loaded in incognito mode; in fact, I thought it was important that they not be able to. As such, how would the page with good analytics even know the user was incognito.
Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data
#29"According to the suit, the company collects information, including IP addresses and browsing histories, whenever users visit web pages or use an app tied to common Google services, such as Google Analytics and Google Ad Manager." I'd really appreciate some more technical details here. Does this include web server logs that record incoming IP addresses? Is the expectation here that Chrome would set a DNT header in in…
Found the full lawsuit PDF https://www.insurancejournal.com/app/uploads/2020/06/brown-v... It looks like this is mainly about the fact that Google Analytics still works even if you are in Incognito mode.
Which there is a warning of every time you open an incognito window. It's not fine print either, it's one of about six bullet points. "Your activity might still be visible to ... Websites you visit." This one is going nowhere I suspect. Just because a lawsuit asks for big damages does not mean the plaintiffs are likely to prevail on their claims.
Re: Google sued for secretly amassing vast trove of user data
#30This 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.
Actually I think it nicely highlights the contradictions inherent in Google's monopolistic position. The user clearly expressed an intent to browse "privately" in one Google product - Chrome. The fact that this doesn't then completely block Google Analytics or forward the preference for privacy to other Google properties is a choice that conveniently aligns with Google's ad business but ignores the intent of what the…
Alternatively, this is working as intended since Google isn't acting as a monopoly by tying disparate products together. You get the same experience in chrome incognito as Firefox incognito.