Legal > Legal: Privacy
May. 8, 2008 at 7:03am by Danny Sullivan
Internet Archive Wins Fight Against Secret FBI Request For Records
When in comes to search privacy, one of the biggest worries in my book has been the US government's ability under the Patriot Act to make secret requests for information that no one can know about. Last year this was ruled unconstitutional by one judge. Today, news is out about...
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Apr. 30, 2008 at 8:55am by Greg Sterling
Will Yahoo Create An Open Ad Profile?
Yahoo's mantra these days is openness. To that end, Yahoo may create the ability for users to view their ad profiles -- the data that's being used to target them with advertising on Yahoo and its extended network. Yahoo EVP Jeff Weiner, who spoke at the Economics of Social Media...
See Related Stories In: Legal: Privacy, Yahoo: Display Ads, Yahoo: General, Yahoo: Search Ads
Apr. 24, 2008 at 8:45am by Barry Schwartz
Google Finally Hands Over Alleged Pedophiles' Profiles On Orkut To Brazilian Authorities
Google hands over data on suspected pedophiles to Brazil via the AFP reports Google has finally handed over profiles of suspected pedophiles to Brazilian authorities. As expected, Google did hand over 3,261 files with information about alleged pedophilia activities in Google's Orkut communities. A member of the senate commission, Demostenes...
See Related Stories In: Google: Legal, Google: Orkut, Google: Outside US, Legal: Privacy
Apr. 11, 2008 at 12:44pm by Greg Sterling
Microsoft Proposes Comprehensive Framework To Protect Consumer Privacy
Microsoft has added its input to that of a host of other stakeholders in the growing debate over consumer privacy, online ad targeting, and potential US (and local) government regulation. (Here's a related WSJ story on search engine efforts to block a proposed anti-tracking law in the New York state...
See Related Stories In: Legal: Privacy, Microsoft: Other, SEM Industry: General
Apr. 10, 2008 at 9:44am by Barry Schwartz
90-Percent Of Pedophilia Complaints In Brazil Come From Google's Orkut
Brazil Senate orders Google to identify website pedophiles via AFP reports a Brazilian Senate has ordered Google to hand over the profiles of 3,261 suspected pedophiles yesterday. However, according to The Inquirer, Google is willing to help Brazilian authorities but not hand over users' personal information. Sergio Suiama, Sao Paulo's...
See Related Stories In: Google: Legal, Google: Orkut, Legal: General, Legal: Privacy
Apr. 7, 2008 at 8:59am by Barry Schwartz
European Groups Says Search Engines Must Delete Search Data Within Six Months
Google, Yahoo Keep User Data Too Long, EU Group Says from Bloomberg reports that 27 EU nations privacy officials unanimously are supporting a new proposal that may require search companies to delete search data before six months. The proposal, Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, requires "valid justification" to store...
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Apr. 4, 2008 at 4:24pm by Greg Sterling
Search Biz: Google Ups And Downs, Yahoo's Jekyll And Hyde Sides, The Revolving (Personnel) Door, & More
Writing the Search Biz column is challenging because of the diverse group of stories that get collected every day. Today there's an unusually large number; however, there are basically three broad themes: Google and the company's legal challenges, Yahoo's Jekyll and Hyde positions on China and human rights, and...
See Related Stories In: Google: Employees, Legal: Censorship, Legal: Privacy, Search Biz, Yahoo: Business Issues, Yahoo: Employees
Mar. 20, 2008 at 3:30pm by Chris Sherman
Search Biz: New York Privacy Law May Set National Precedent; AOL Worth Half Of Yahoo?, & Surprise, Google Still #1
A privacy law taking shape in the New York legislature will make it a crime for internet companies to use personal information about consumers for advertising without their consent. And because of the generally boundary-free nature of the internet, it would effectively set a national precedent for companies collecting...
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Mar. 7, 2008 at 9:22am by Barry Schwartz
U.S. Pentagon Bans Google From Military Bases
Google mappers banned from U.S. bases from the LA Times reports the US Pentagon has banned Google StreetView photographers from accessing military bases. The ban came after StreetView photographs of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio were found on Google Maps....
See Related Stories In: Google: Maps & Local, Legal: Privacy, Legal: Security
Feb. 27, 2008 at 10:04am by Barry Schwartz
EFF Sues DOJ Over Googler For Correspondence With Horvath
Group Sues Justice for Google Contacts from Washington Post reports that the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed suit against a former Googler. The EFF want to know what was said between Google and Jane Horvath, a former US Justice Department privacy lawyer who now works for Google. The suit was filed...
See Related Stories In: Google: Employees, Google: Legal, Legal: Privacy
Feb. 25, 2008 at 8:39am by Barry Schwartz
Yahoo, You're Not Off The Hook Over The Chinese Dissidents Case Says New Lawsuit
Yahoo Sued Again for Assisting the Persecution of Chinese Dissidents from the Epoch Times reports Yahoo is being sued once again for allegedly leaking personal information and aiding the Chinese Communist Party in Internet censorship and the persecution of dissidents. The China Democratic Party, China Social Democratic Party and the...
See Related Stories In: Legal: Privacy, Yahoo: Legal
Feb. 22, 2008 at 8:31am by Barry Schwartz
Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, & Other Search Engines Must Comply With EU Privacy Rules
EU: Search Engines Under EU Rules from the Associated Press reports that European data privacy regulators said search engines outside the EU have to comply with the EU's privacy regulations....
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Feb. 18, 2008 at 8:58am by Barry Schwartz
Google Helps In Child Porn Bust In United States
Former Batesburg-Leesville High teacher indicted in internet bust from WISTV.com reports a high-school teacher was indicted for distributing and soliciting child pornography on Google-owned Hello.com. Hello.com is a site that allows users to chat in real-time while exchanging photos. Timothy Lynn Brumit, a 47-year old high school teacher in Batesburg-Leesville,...
See Related Stories In: Google: Legal, Legal: Privacy
Feb. 11, 2008 at 9:05am by Barry Schwartz
Google Wins Upside Down Social Security Number Privacy Lawsuit
Eric Goldman reports Google has won the Jayne v. Google Founders lawsuit (PDF). The suit was filed by Dylan Stephen Jayne against Google for $5 billion. Jayne claimed when you turn his social security number upside down, it spelled Google. In any event, a United States court of appeals for...
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Jan. 29, 2008 at 9:55am by Barry Schwartz
Once Again, A Google Murder Case
In the UK, a woman has been convicted of trying to murder her husband after researching methods on Google. It's one of several cases like this that have come up in past years. Google poisoner tried to murder husband describes the method this woman used to try to kill her...
See Related Stories In: Legal: Privacy, Search & Society: General
Jan. 28, 2008 at 9:51am by Greg Sterling
Today Is "Data Privacy Day;" Bush Admin Launches Internet Monitoring Initiative
For most people, today is Monday, January 28. However, today has been designated "Data Privacy Day" in North America and in 27 European countries in conjunction with the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Google's privacy counsel, Jane Horvath, says the company is joining in an international privacy conference being held...
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Jan. 23, 2008 at 10:13am by Danny Sullivan
Will The European Union Decide IP Addresses Are Personal?
The head of an EU group looking into search privacy issues said yesterday that Internet Protocol addresses assigned to computers should be treated as personal information. Below, more about that plus a look at some comments about how the search engines have been reported to the European Parliament to be...
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Jan. 23, 2008 at 9:46am by Danny Sullivan
FTC Complaint Filed Over AskEraser: "Unfair & Deceptive"
Photo adapted from one by Hans Engel Some felt Ask.com won the privacy oneupmanship that went on last year when it rolled out Ask Eraser, a tool promising to stop recording any information about someone doing a search. But questions quickly came up, including whether the tool helped at...
See Related Stories In: Ask: General, Legal: Privacy
Jan. 21, 2008 at 11:09am by Greg Sterling
Google-DoubleClick Drama Moves To European Stage
Much of the discussion and debate in the U.S. over Google's proposed acquisition of DoubleClick was about the impact of the deal on consumer privacy, even though that wasn't technically part of the anti-trust analysis before the FTC. Accordingly, the FTC approved the acquisition with one commissioner dissenting largely on...
See Related Stories In: Google: Acquisitions, Google: Critics, Legal: General, Legal: Privacy
Dec. 27, 2007 at 8:54am by Danny Sullivan
Keeping It Private On Google Reader
Almost two weeks ago, I wrote my Google Reader Gets Social With Friends Shared Items post detailing how disturbing it was that Google Reader was now sharing items with people it considered my friends, on an opt-out basis. Privacy concerns over this finally exploded this week, with Google Reader...
See Related Stories In: Google: Reader, Legal: Privacy
Dec. 26, 2007 at 8:31am by Barry Schwartz
Google Reader Share With Friends Feature Causes Privacy Concerns
Google Reader shares private data, ruins Christmas from Felipe Hoffa has a detailed rundown of the user complaints with Google Reader's new share with friends feature. Felipe writes, "One week ago Google Reader's team decided to begin showing your private data to all your GMail contacts. No need to opt-in,...
