SAN FRANCISCO — When Google first revealed in 2010 that cars it was using to map streets were also sweeping up sensitive personal information from wireless home networks, it called the data collection a mistake. On Saturday, federal regulators charged that Google had “deliberately impeded and delayed” an investigation into the data collection and ordered a $25,000 fine on the search giant.The finding, by the Federal Communications Commission, and the exasperated tone of the report were in marked contrast to the resolution of a separate inquiry two years ago. That investigation, by the Federal Trade Commission, accepted Google’s explanation that it was “mortified by what happened” while collecting information for its Street View project, and its promise to impose internal controls." Read the rest at your own risk; it's pretty amazing to see how much Google has got away with.
Check this out "When the commission asked Google to identify those responsible for the program, Google “unilaterally determined that to do so would ‘serve no useful purpose,’ ” according to the F.C.C. report."Really? First Google said it was "a mistake" and now it's basically "none of your damned business." When a commission decides, a company can say they don't think so? :-)
The whole article shows a terrific lack of respect for the commission, Americans, and the rules. Google apparently writes their own? And the fines imposed are so small Google wouldn't even notice.
What do you think?
z
14 comments:
"The whole article shows a terrific lack of respect for the commission, Americans, and the rules."
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Yeah, so what?
You want a corporation to take the knee to the nanny state?
Lack of respect for citizens?
You just waking up? Haven't had your coffee yet?
What a neat subject to start the week. The whole issue dates back to the Communications Act of 1934 which stipulates that a person cannot listen to radio transmissions that are intended to be private and profiting from that information.
I am not sure whether the Telecommunications Act of 1996 addressed privacy issues, but this is where the FCC went off the tracks. They could have gone after Google using the 1934 law, but would have had a difficult time proving that Google profited from the personal information collected.
In my opinion Google was doing a logical thing, and their management was not aware of the ancient laws governing such things. It would be nice to have available, and open, wifi systems noted on Google maps so I can get internet connectivity in other cities without having to pay,, and that may have been one of Google's reason to collect wifi system data.
With all that said, I don't think Google intended any harm for what they did. It is pretty sad that Google threw their engineer under the bus, causing him to plead 5th amendment protection.
"What do I think"?
I think that it's Bush's fault..... :-)
The only real rights to privacy Americans have any more are related to abortions and HIV.
What we have here … is a failure to communicate! The American people seem confused about their rights. The Bill of Rights protects citizens from government intrusion at times and places when a reasonable person might conclude that a citizen has an expectation of privacy.
We do not have an expectation of privacy when the entire downtown area of New York City (and others) is completely covered by television cameras. We do not have a right to privacy when we know satellites are spying on us from 2,000 miles in space, and we do not have a right to privacy when we know damn well that anyone with the right hardware can listen in to our cell phone conversations and swipe all the data stored in our “apps” —including privately owned companies who are mapping neighborhoods for “Google Earth,” whose primary customer is the US government.
But hey, the download is free, right? Does anyone ever read the fine print on those “terms of service” agreements?
Think the federal government is spying on you? Hah! They're not that smart.
Corporate America knows more about you than Uncle Sam could ever hope to know.
The greatest prank ever played on human beings was when Satan convinced them that he doesn’t exist. The second was the notion that the government isn’t smart enough, or sufficiently motivated to spy on the American people.
By law, NSA's intelligence gathering is limited to foreign communications, but domestic surveillance occurs anyway —authorized by presidential order. The question deals with corporate spying: I don’t lose sleep over this, but I will only say that companies that collect marketing data have been required to turn that information over to the federal government. Given the choice between liberty and obscurity or cool free stuff, most Americans will choose cool stuff. You see, liberty is no big deal when paid for by the sacrifices of someone else.
Silvefiddle, many wonder how much of the information is coming from GOogle.
Gundey, of course it is! :-)
Joe, that seems to be the only thing Democrats really care in re to privacy.
Mustang, can this be turned back?
"...but I will only say that companies that collect marketing data have been required to turn that information over to the federal government."
Sam, for what purpose?
Believe it or not, Z … there are millions of people just like Ducky who hate America and would like nothing better than to do her harm. This means that government investigators may have an interest in persons they suspect are planning a despicable event. Or perhaps there are “red flags” that appear whenever individuals show an interest in certain kinds of electronic equipment, chemicals, or security around nuclear power facilities.
Google, in keeping track of where people go, becomes an ideal source of information for government agencies; either Google turns this information over to government, or perhaps the government just helps itself to Google’s databases. This is really not very alarming. China has been helping itself to this same information for a long time. I would be more concerned about what China is doing with this information more than I would the FBI.
Aside from individuals formally identified as “persons of interest” in federal investigations, I feel it is a very slippery slope for our government to spy on its own citizens —even if they are doing it through a surrogate (Google). If we aren’t careful, Americans will end up with exactly the totalitarian government Ducky dreams about.
Sam, we certainly don't honor and respect and strive for the privacy and freedom we once did as a country.
And, I suppose some of it is based on terrorism and how we really do have to keep those who could hjurt us under watch.... and it's difficult to discern these days who can and who wouldn't.
The really unnerving thing is how we've got Black panthers putting bounties on peoples' heads and hearing nothing from DoJ or DHS!
But when White Supremacist NUTS do anything, Napolitano's all over it issuing threats to behave and putting them on WATCH LISTS, etc.
When a DoJ is only paying attention to what fits their agenda, that's more a red flag than any Chinese threat, to me.
Google owns Blogger.
I know. I haven't given up my Google account..and don't plan to in the near future
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