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Unredacted suit shows Google's own engineers confused by privacy settings:
In 2018, the Associated Press reported that Maps and some other Google services (on both iPhone and Android) were storing users' location data even when users had explicitly turned Location History off.
"There are a number of different ways that Google may use location to improve people's experience, including: Location History, Web and App Activity, and through device-level Location Services," a Google spokesperson told the AP at the time. "We provide clear descriptions of these tools, and robust controls so people can turn them on or off, and delete their histories at any time."
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich's office launched its own investigation following the AP report, and in May 2020 the state sued Google, alleging that the company violated the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act.
The initial lawsuit was heavily redacted, as the Arizona Mirror reports. But following an August 3 petition from trade groups Digital Content Next and the News Media Alliance, the judge has ordered several documents related to the case to be unsealed, and a new, less-redacted version of the suit is now available.
The new version of the suit (PDF) includes a number of employee emails and chat logs where Google employees agreed with the AP story, and these employees highlighted their own frustrations with the settings. Among the highlights:
- "The current UI feels like it is designed to make things possible, yet difficult enough that people won't figure it out."
- "Some people (including even Googlers) don't know that there is a global switch and a per-device switch."
- "Indeed we aren't very good at explaining this to users. Add me to the list of Googlers who didn't understand how this worked and was surprised when I read the article ... we shipped a UI that confuses users."
- "I agree with the article. Location off should mean location off, not except for this case or that case."
"Speaking as a user, WTF?" another employee said, in additional documentation obtained by the Arizona Mirror. "More specifically I **thought** I had location tracking turned off on my phone. So our messaging around this is enough to confuse a privacy focused (Google software engineer). That's not good."
Also at news.com.au
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 01 2020, @02:03PM (8 children)
some people live in the bad part of town and want video record of who stole their things
(Score: 2) by pe1rxq on Tuesday September 01 2020, @02:28PM (2 children)
That still does not explain why you would send a 24/7 video feed to google.... The google business model revolves around selling your private data to whoever they can.
(Score: 3, Funny) by barbara hudson on Tuesday September 01 2020, @02:34PM
Exhibitionist who wants to livestream while having an excuse that "it's googles fault."
You have o e of these in your home you're better off iin the long run f someone steals it.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 01 2020, @02:40PM
Somebody should do a kickstarter to get these in the homes of as many fat uggos as possible. That will show Google and law enforcement.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by barbara hudson on Tuesday September 01 2020, @02:30PM (4 children)
And with someone wearing a hoodie, sunglasses, and a mask, your camera is useless unless they forget to remove their name tag.
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 01 2020, @02:44PM (2 children)
that is unless they've discovered the magic of bacon. Dogs are generally pretty useless for security and most burglars know that already. Anybody breaking into a home where they expect people are isn't going to be deterred by a dog. And dogs spend so much time barking at random things that people just tune them out after a while.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday September 01 2020, @03:52PM
The dog isn't there to protect property, so much as to protect YOU. I have two dogs now. One is sweet and loving, and would probably run off to hide if a threat were to appear. Her sister, the alpha, is a lot less sweet. She's very protective, and no one is coming in the yard or the house without challenge. No one is going to offer violence to a member of the household without challenge. The sweet and loving sister will follow alpha's lead though, so if alpha goes for your throat, sister will probably be going for your balls.
The dogs don't care about any of the stuff in the house. "Give me bacon, take whatever you want!"
(Score: 2) by toddestan on Wednesday September 02 2020, @10:52PM
If a thief is determined to break into your home for some reason, a dog isn't really going to deter them. But if they are just breaking into random homes to steal whatever they can easily get their hands on, they are more than likely just going to skip a house with a dog when there's plenty of houses where there isn't a dog.
(Score: 2) by Booga1 on Tuesday September 01 2020, @09:42PM
That's pretty much it. I once came home wearing a puffy jacket, gloves, sunglasses, and hat. The dog which normally greets me at the door turned from the usual happy dog into a very nervous wreck. She was barking at me non-stop until I took off the hat and glasses and she recognized me. Even if she wouldn't attack, I sure as heck would know if anyone was breaking in, and she'd make such a fuss the neighbors would know something's up as well.