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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

#71

Post by ciarannolan »

ipython wrote: post #66

How poetic. This lawsuit brought to you by Boies Schiller, the law firm that aggressively intimidated Theranos whistleblowers. I would argue that their actions contributed to the suicide of Ian Gibbons, as well as threatening his widow with legal action after his death.

>I would argue that their actions contributed to the suicide of Ian Gibbons [...]

Anyone who has read Bad Blood [1] should have no doubt about this fact. They destroyed this man and lead him to suicide in order to try to save their house of cards.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Blood-Secrets-Silicon-Startup/dp/...

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

#72

Post by fluffything »

guyzero wrote: post #67
dr_kiszonka wrote: post #43

(Disclaimer: I have a big personal gripe with Google, but I don't hate the company in general) Something has been on mind for a while. I see lawsuits against Google collecting / selling personal data and ideas to combat its monopoly in search. What I don't see is a discussion about regulating companies that have data on the majority of the population. I know for a fact that Google used search insights to inform strat…

Yes, all that data helped Google perfect its amazing chat and video calling app strategy.

Don't forget Google Plus, and that email killer whose name I cannot recall.

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

#74

Post by kinkrtyavimoodh »

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.

The claims are basic, the conclusions are ridiculous. The lawsuit is on the conclusions, which probably won't even fly, but some trolls managed to get their course-project-level PDF read by millions.

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

#75

Post by _0w8t »

joshuamorton wrote: post #30
AlexandrB wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Google runs both Chrome and Analytics. And they do not warn explicitly that other Google products may store the history even in the private mode. Which some may interpret that Google lies when claiming about their private mode. So the case may have merit in theory.

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

#77

Post by corty »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #23
corty wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 tra…

There is DNT for example, which can easily be used to transmit the user's intentions automatically and without unnecessary interaction. The technical means are there, they just need to be enforced, which maybe this lawsuit will improve...

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

#78

Post by guessbest »

preommr wrote: post #36
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.

We are way past the boiling stage.

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

#79

Post by snazz »

fluffything wrote: post #72
guyzero wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, all that data helped Google perfect its amazing chat and video calling app strategy.

Don't forget Google Plus, and that email killer whose name I cannot recall.

Google+ and Wave were both doomed because they were invite-only. If you have to ration invites, it isn't much of a social network. Invite-only successfully created artificial demand for Gmail because invited users could immediately communicate with non-Gmail users. That didn't work for Google+ or Wave since they didn't interoperate with services that people already used.

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

#80

Post by joshuamorton »

_0w8t wrote: post #75
joshuamorton wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Google runs both Chrome and Analytics. And they do not warn explicitly that other Google products may store the history even in the private mode. Which some may interpret that Google lies when claiming about their private mode. So the case may have merit in theory.

Quoting my chrome incognito screen:

> Your activity might still be visible to: Websites you visit Your employer or school Your internet service provider

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