Google is currently considering its options after a federal judge gave the go-ahead for a group of consolidated lawsuits to proceed against the company over a potential violation of the Federal Wiretap Act. Wednesday’s decision by US District Judge James Ware, first reported by Wired, actually dismissed two of the three claims against Google, but […]
Google and Virgin America have teamed up in a clever Chromebook promotion that will benefit both brands. The airline sent out an email this morning that offers a free Chromebook test drive, “From July 1 to September 30 . . . on select flights from San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston, and Chicago, exclusively on Virgin […]
Having used the Samsung 10.1 Android tablet (running Honeycomb) for a number of weeks I can tell you conclusively that it doesn’t compete with the iPad. While the hardware is light and generally well designed, the overall software experience falls well short of the standard the iPad has established. An Unintentional iPad Competitor? Enter Google’s […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: 7 Reasons Why Nixing Branded Keywords Is Not The Fix For CPC Inflation “If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?” While this classic parenting question is […]
Yesterday members-only site Gilt offered an invitation only one-day sale on a “limited edition” version of the forthcoming Samsung “Series 5” Chromebook — and reportedly sold out of it. The notebook will officially go on sale on June 15th. The model being sold by Gilt was the $499 3G version. The WiFi-only version is $429. […]
It’s day two of the Google I/O developers conference. Call it “Chrome Day,” because yesterday was all about Android. What to expect? How about a Chrome computer for $20 per month? That’s what’s likely to be revealed during the keynote. Techmeme is buzzing with the headlines of details that have leaked out so far. The […]
Skyhook’s lawsuit against Google, for unfair competition, interference with contract and patent infringement, has survived a substantive and procedural challenge to end the case. Google had sought to terminate the litigation before all the factual discovery was completed. Skyhook Gets to Dig More One of the byproducts of earlier discovery in this case was the […]
Police apparently raided Google’s Korean offices in Seoul “on suspicion its mobile advertising unit AdMob had illegally collected location data without consent,” according to a Bloomberg report. This is the most extreme action taken by any government in the growing controversy over smartphone location data — essentially criminalizing data collection. In the US Apple and […]
Following the revelation last week that the iPhone stored user location data a consumer class action was filed. This kind of disclosure/revelation-class action cycle is now familiar. And because Google also collects location data it is now also the subject of a similar class action (Brown et al v. Google) seeking $50 million in damages. […]
Austrian officials have lifted an almost year-long ban on Google Street View, but Google says it has no current plans to offer the service there, anyway. According to the Austrian Independent, Austria’s Data Protection Commission (DSK) announced on Thursday that it was ending the ban that started in May 2010; that’s when Google admitted that […]
Apple and Google are helping intensify an already intense digital privacy debate with last week’s revelations that both companies’ mobile software track your movements in detail without your affirmative consent. This morning the Wall Street Journal reported that the iPhone stores user location data even when location-services are entirely turned off: Apple Inc.’s iPhone is […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing’s Read/Write World: An Ambitious Project To Bridge Maps With Movies, Photos, Local Data & More It’s probably not something that you can wrap your head around pretty quickly. It’s also […]
While some countries have already completed their investigations, Belgium is just now launching a probe into Google’s collection of Wifi data over unsecured WiFi networks. According to the Flemish newspaper De Morgen, Belgian data protection officials believe Google is guilty of a “flagrant violation of privacy protection laws.” A Bloomberg report says the Belgian privacy […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Dutch Agency Orders Google To Remove Data About Citizens’ WiFi Routers Dutch data officials have ordered Google to give the country’s residents a way to remove data that Google has about […]
Dutch data officials have ordered Google to give the country’s residents a way to remove data that Google has about where their WiFi routers are located. It’s part of the ongoing dispute over Google’s collection of personal information via unencrypted wifi networks — something the company has said all along was accidental. According to the […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: German Court OKs Google Street View Imagery In “Landmark Decision” German publication Deutsche Welle is reporting that a Berlin court has vindicated Google Street View operation in Germany. In late 2010 […]
According to wire service AFP, France’s data privacy regulator has imposed a EUR 100,000 ($142,000) fine to punish Google for collecting private WiFi data via Street View in France. This is the first fine/penalty any country has levied against Google over the WiFi data collection. When it first occurred, Google acknowledged the data collection but […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Executive Believed Missing After Egypt Protests There are several reports that a Google executive based in the Middle East is missing after taking part in the protests in Egypt last […]
Google and the Connecticut-led coalition of 40 US states will avoid court and begin negotiations that are aimed at settling issues related to Google’s collection of personal data over unsecured WiFi networks. In a press release issued today (PDF), newly-elected Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen says the coalition will not pursue a demand issued last […]
Google has had its share of negative press coverage over the past year. And one of the questions that reporters always ask is: how will this scandal or that investigation impact the perception or usage of Google in the market? In other words, does something like the WiFi privacy scandal in Europe or the antitrust […]
Here’s a follow-up up on last week’s report: South Korean police have now filed criminal charges against Google over the collection of personal information via unsecured wifi networks. The data was collected by Street View vehicles in South Korea between October 2009 and May 2010. According to the AP story, police examined the data that […]
South Korean police are planning to file criminal charges against Google executives over the collection of personal data via unsecured wifi networks. According to IDG News/PCWorld, the country’s national police agency has determined that Google acted illegally when it gathered personal data as part of its Street View mapping service. A police official says they’re […]
Connecticut’s outgoing Attorney General says legal action is a possibility after Google refused to turn over personal data that it’s collected via unsecured wifi networks. Richard Blumenthal tells the Wall Street Journal that he’s “disappointed” by Google’s decision not to respond to recent demands to review data that Google collected from Connecticut businesses and residences. […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Do You Hear What I Hear: Understanding Mobile Searcher Intent With 2010 holiday shopping season nearly complete, every consumer brand has really been given the ultimate mobile gift this from their […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Voice Search Adds Personalization Traditional search on Google is already personalized (and has been for some time), and now the company has announced that its Voice Search service can also […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Q&A: Google’s Sengupta On The Chrome OS Cr-48 Laptop Yesterday, after writing my review of the Google Chrome OS Cr-48 notebook, I had a chance to catch up with Google product […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: DecorMyEyes Merchant Vitaly Borker Arrested After NYT Piece On Google Rankings Just over a week ago, the New York Times introduced the world to Vitaly Borker, who boasted of being abusive […]
Saying it’s unlikely to get a conviction, the Australian Federal Police has given up its six-month investigation of Google’s collection of personal data over unsecure WiFi networks. In a statement issued Friday, the AFP says that Google’s activities “may have” broken the law, but that pursuing the matter further doesn’t make sense. Evidence exists to […]
Will 2011 be the “year of privacy”? There are many reasons to think so. In the US, the Obama administration is planning to establish a committee or “czar” to oversee potential new internet privacy rules. Republicans and Democrats alike seem to be concerned about online tracking and privacy issues. The question would appear to be […]
I am really excited to announce we have posted the SphinnCon Israel agenda today. The small SEO/SEM event takes place on Sunday, January 9, 2011 in Jerusalem, Israel. We do have seats available, so if you are going to be in the region or want to plan a vacation out of it, you can register […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing For Android Now Available To Everyone Bing for Android was previously only available on selected Verizon Android handsets. Now, according to Microsoft, it’s available to everyone with an Android handset, […]
It seems not a week goes by without news of a new investigation into Google’s Street View service, or into Google’s collection of personal data via unencrypted WiFi networks that occurred over three years as Street View vehicles drove the world’s streets. It seems like one country opens an investigation just as another country ends […]
Although the FTC ended its investigation into Google’s collection of personal data via unsecured WiFi networks, Google’s not necessarily in the clear with the Obama administration. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FCC is looking into whether Google broke the law when its Street View cars collected personal data between 2007 and May, 2010. […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Foursquare’s Crowley Can Feel Foursquare Fatique, Has Plans To Fix It Feeling Foursquare fatigue and perhaps wondering what’s the point of checking in at times? Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley sometimes feels […]
In a six-page letter to House Oversight Committee leaders, a watchdog group has called on the government to do a “thorough investigation” of both Google’s WiFi data collection and the FTC’s recent decision to end its investigation without penalizing Google. In a blog post announcing the letter (PDF download), Ken Boehm, chairman of the National […]
At some point during the course of the past couple of years, perhaps catalyzed by the shock of Nokia’s roughly $8 billion acquisition of Navteq, Google decided it needed to “own” maps top to bottom. Since that time the company has been making a systematic effort to collect and improve the base data for this […]
No stranger to lawsuits and regulatory complaints, Google is dealing with a trio of new claims and contentions. Ad reseller partners in China are suing Google for lost commissions and other damages tied to Google’s recent pullout of that market. According to an article in Shanghai Daily: Seven former advertising resellers for Google China in […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Hot At Sphinn: SEO’s Bad Reputation, Google ‘Pollutes’ The Web & More A news article about Google from The Guardian was popular last week on Sphinn, as was last week’s member […]
Calling Google’s collection of personal data over unsecured WiFi networks “very troubling,” a US congressman says CEO Eric Schmidt may be called to answer questions when the new Congress convenes next year. Representative Joe Barton made the comments on C-SPAN’s The Communicators program today. Although Google has repeatedly said the data collection was inadvertent, Barton […]
Prosecutors in Italy are investigating Google’s Street View service to determine if the company violated privacy laws when it collected wifi data over unencrypted networks earlier this year. Officials in Rome announced the probe on Wednesday. This is separate from Italy’s request last weekend that Google mark its Street View cars and publish their itineraries […]