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Privacy groups have complained to the Federal Trade Commission that Google is encroaching on user privacy through a policy change in June that allows it to combine personally identifiable information with browsing data collected by its DoubleClick digital advertising service.
The complaint, by Consumer Watchdog and Privacy Rights Clearing House, alleged that Google has created "super-profiles" as it can track user activity on Android mobile phones, with an 88 percent market share of smartphones worldwide. The information can also be gleaned "from any website that uses Google Analytics, hosts YouTube videos, or displays ads served by DoubleClick or AdSense," according to the complaint.
The combination of data is in contrast to Google's pledges not to combine users' personally identifiable information with DoubleClick's browsing data when acquiring the ad serving service in 2008, according to the complaint filed Thursday but made public on Monday. In October this year, ProPublica reported that Google "quietly erased that last privacy line in the sand" by its policy change in June that allowed the DoubleClick database of web browsing records to be combined with personal user data.
On June 28, Google users were informed of some new optional features introduced for their account that would give them more control over the data the company collects and how it's used, while allowing the search giant to show more relevant ads. As part of the changes, Google struck out the language in its privacy policy stating that it would "not combine DoubleClick cookie information with personally identifiable information unless we have your opt-in consent," according to the complaint. Existing users were presumably given the chance to opt out, but for new users the combination of personal and browsing data was done by default, it added.
[...] Describing the June move as highly deceptive, the groups said the announcement "intentionally misled users," who had no way to figure from the wording that Google was in fact asking users for permission to link their personal information to data reflecting their behavior on as many as 80 percent of the Internet's leading websites.
(Score: 1) by RS3 on Friday December 30 2016, @09:59PM
Oh man you're stepping in it! I don't know whether to be amused or scared!
Re. google accounts: I smelled a rat long ago and refused to establish a google account. I had a youtube login before the google takeover. Google dissolved the youtube logins and wanted you to create a wonderful google login for all they watch you do, I mean all your computing needs. I don't miss the youtube login. RIP.
I also very much wish people would shed their google accounts. Realistically I have no faith that sheeple will recognize how much they're being tracked or how bad the outcomes can be. Nobody seems to learn from history. I've tried to convince people I know (in direct human interaction) and they all say things like "it's inevitable" and "you can't stop it". It's so sad that people don't understand how powerful their collective vote is- in favor of being tracked and spied on. I guess most people feel they're on a roller-coaster and can do nothing but ride and wave arms. Wait until we go into a very tight tunnel.
I know of some "professional" interactions / clients I have who make me feel like an outcast idiot because I don't have a google account and can't get their stupid google drive / google docs. Waaaa, it's so hard to attach a document to an email. Waaaa.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Friday December 30 2016, @10:37PM
I use Google (and facebook) for business and spam catching only. They get no real peal personal information. For those purposes and the free advertising they can't be beat, since I want them to spread as much info as they can.
As far as getting the government to protect your privacy or any other civil rights, forget about it, especially since you-know-who won. That function no longer exists. The people have spoken.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..