Google Rated as Having Entrenched Hostility to Privacy

According to an Associated Press story on Earthlink.net, a new report on Web privacy practices gives Google the lowest possible rating for consumer privacy practices.

The London-based Privacy International report, released on Saturday, classifies Google as having "comprehensive consumer surveillance and entrenched hostility to privacy." Simon Davies, director of Privacy International said, "Under the microscope, it turns out that Google is doing much more with our data than we ever imagined."

The Privacy International report says that no company came as close as Google to "achieving status as an endemic threat to privacy."

A low opinion of Google's privacy policy seems to prevail. AP reports that a European panel is investigating whether Google measures up to European privacy rules. Three US consumer groups are lobbying for fundamental changes to the way Google handles consumer information in the wake of Google's $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick Inc.

Google seems to have three strikes against it. Davies says that Privacy International tried to contact Google to discuss the low rating, but received no response.

According to AP, Google's deputy general counsel Nicole Wang is saying that Google is disappointed with the report. She also says the report is based on "inaccuracies and misunderstandings about" Google services. Wang further regrets that Privacy International did not contact Google to give them a chance to discuss Google privacy practices that are aggressive in protecting user's privacy.

Privacy International surveyed 22 companies in all and no others received the lowest possible ranking. AP reported the companies included Google competitors Yahoo Inc, Microsoft Corp, and AOL. A number of companies did, however, receive the second lowest ranking indicating that the companies are "substantial and comprehensive privacy threats." These companies include Time Warner Inc's AOL, Apple Inc., Facebook.com. Hi5.com, Microsoft's Windows Live Space, and Yahoo. Privacy International says these companies and others have troubling privacy policies, but none as troubling as Google's.

AP reports that Google has made a commitment to begin erasing consumer information within 24 months. In the meantime, The U. S. Federal Trade Commission is beginning to investigate potential antitrust violations related to Google's proposed acquisition of DoubleClick.com, which is a Web surfer's behavior tracking service.

Google currently tracks and stores consumer information and Web use data in order to better provide relevant search results and promote accurately related advertisements. AP states that Privacy International finds it especially worrying that Google can match data from search engines with data from other services like "e-mail, instant messaging and maps."

Privacy International is a group collaboration between US and UK researchers and academics. Privacy practices of 22 selected companies have been analyzed over a six month period.

Some of the companies, as stated by AP, that received the higher rating of "generally privacy-aware" are BBC, eBay Inc., Last fm, LiveJournal.com, and Wikipedia.com. No company received the highest possible rating for privacy practices and awareness.

MICHAEL LIEDTKE (AP Business Writer), "Watchdog Group Slams Google on Privacy." URL: http://my.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20070609/466a25c0_3ca6_1552620070609-152234444