Google To Pay $8.5 Million In Buzz Privacy Settlement 58
Posted
by
Soulskill
from the dollars-and-sense dept.
from the dollars-and-sense dept.
eldavojohn writes "Google's Buzz service will cost the company $8.5 million in settling a class action lawsuit related to the privacy debacle from the days after its release. Ars reports: 'In the proposed settlement submitted to the court this week, Google agreed to make efforts to better educate Buzz users on issues of privacy and the particular privacy features that Buzz offers. Additionally, Google also agreed to pay out $8.5 million to a fund which will be disbursed as cy pres awards for organizations that focus on Internet privacy policy or education.' In other words, the victims (Buzz users) won't see any of that money, but it will be used to promote healthy Internet privacy policies."
Several readers have also noted that Google has simplified its privacy policy, condensing a number of product-specific policies into one and adding a privacy tools page in an effort to make everything more easily understood.
This is another great victory... (Score:5, Insightful)
This is another great victory for lawyers. =b
Re:Can victims opt out of this settlement? (Score:4, Insightful)
Instead, the money will go to funding lobbyists pushing for privacy legislation. Remember the mantra: Privacy is sacred!
To use a website, you'll need to provide three forms of ID to prove you're not too young, a predator, or any other kind of objectionable person, but the company running the website won't be able to record that fact. You'll need to repeat the process every time you use the site. You can also forget storing preferences, or being able to post your own comments. It's all for privacy! Also note that all the ads on your favorite sites, since they won't be able to be targeted, will present a random selection of products for your consideration. While shopping for a new television, you'll get ads for healthy food for your pet gerbil! While browsing for something vague, like a new cooperative board game for your family, you'll get ads for condoms. I guess that's related...
Remember: Relevance is overrated! Only absolute privacy can protect us from those evil advertisers!
</sarcasm>
Re:Can victims opt out of this settlement? (Score:4, Insightful)
Why? There was absolutely no harm to anyone. The privacy "implications" were completely overblown and mainly by people who just didn't understand how the service worked, the service was opt-in to begin with, and nobody actually had any damage done to them.
This is pretty much completely bullshit, and I imagine the only reasons they settled at all were 1) to save face and 2) to save money, since a legal battle would have cost them more.
Re:Makes one wonder (Score:2, Insightful)
The actual reason is because facebook is not google.
You see, those privacy advocate groups do not want any sort of privacy or protections for you or anyone else. They simply want to hate on a successful company.
Same reason just yesterday a quite loud "privacy group" was hating on google, yet using googles own analytical services to spy on everyone going to their website, trying and succeeding in giving you less privacy.
These people love to hate, and see dollar signs all over the legal system that they grew up with and know how to exploit.
This is why they target only google, and not target privacy abuses.
The best extreme stereotypical figure that comes to mind is Lionel Hutz [wikipedia.org] on The Simpsons
This is absolutely wrong (Score:4, Insightful)