ceruleancat | Entries tagged with tech

From Google's Terms of Service (my empahsis): http://www.google.com/accounts/TOS

By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.

You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.
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Another discussion of the problems with Google's new policy, from a somewhat different perspective:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/02/google_privacy_policy_the_missing_opt_out_isn_t_the_only_problem_.html

More google privacy issues: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_19990444
"Google deliberately worked around something in Safari to make ads work in the way it wanted them to work, regardless of whether the user wanted that or not."

And finally, I checked
the wiki pages on google again. ~~Surprise surprise~~ There is still no mention of the 2012 privacy controversies.

Crossposts: http://ceruleancat.livejournal.com/72128.html http://ceruleancat.insanejournal.com/10919.html

This is primarily for my own future reference, to simplify informing people.

Selected quotes:

If you're Google, the single-user treatment can have some benefits to you. For example, if you have an appointment in Google Calendar, when the app alerts you about it, it can also tell you if you're going to be late for the meeting based on location and traffic information it gathers from other Google apps.

On the other hand, some people may find it creepy that Google is keeping tabs on their locations and appointments.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/248698/google_revamps_its_myriad_privacy_guidelines_into_one_document.html

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Google Policy Manager Betsy Masiello "explains that a number of Google services -- search, maps, and YouTube, for example -- can be used without persons identifying themselves through a login. For services that require logins, a number of tools and options are available to reduce the data being collected by Google.

Google isn't collecting more data from its users under the new policy, Masiello maintains. "Our new policy simply makes it clear that we use data to refine and improve your experience on Google—whichever products or services you use," she writes. "This is something we have already been doing for a long time."

http://www.pcworld.com/article/248845/google_defends_privacy_changes_as_questions_mount.html
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"The lack of opt-out means users cannot pick and choose which data they want integrated into their Google profiles. Private e-mail messages might contain any number of personal, embarrassing, or otherwise damaging information, and Google’s attempts to amplify and contextualize this information through targeted ads, Maps suggestions, or Calendar reminders could have negative consequences for users."

http://www.pcworld.com/article/248715/googles_new_privacy_policy_why_you_should_care.html
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"Google's announcement raises questions about whether consumers can opt out of the new data sharing system either globally or on a product-by-product basis. We believe that consumers should have the ability to opt out of data collection when they are not comfortable with a company's terms of service and that the ability to exercise that choice should be simple and straightforward."

http://www.pcworld.com/article/248916/google_privacy_policy_claims_challenged_by_watchdog.html
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Google was also initially rapped by an independent watchdog of the federal cloud, SafeGov.org, for creating privacy risks for government workers with the new policies. Google quickly responded that the new policies do not apply to government workers using Google Apps. That, though, raised the question that if the policies could put the privacy of government workers at risk, then might they also put the privacy of rank-and-file users at risk as well?

http://www.pcworld.com/article/248845/google_defends_privacy_changes_as_questions_mount.html

Current Mood: discontent
Crossposts: http://ceruleancat.livejournal.com/71279.html http://ceruleancat.insanejournal.com/10037.html

I went looking for info on the new google privacy thing (to better inform others. I do not use a google account). Not getting any current (2012) results on a google search with the query "google privacy problems" (aside from the news section) was not surprising.
However, finding both Wiki articles to not be updated was very surprising, and suspicious.
The pages are stamped as last updated today, but there is no discussion dedicated to the new policy and its repercussions or criticism thereof.

My conspiracy bells are ringing.

Wiki on google http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google
Wiki on google crit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Google
Anyone have any input on this?

Current Mood: discontent
Crossposts: http://ceruleancat.livejournal.com/71129.html http://ceruleancat.insanejournal.com/9962.html

I love when programmers incorporate meme jokes! This is real. We checked it.

Current Mood: amused
Crossposts: http://ceruleancat.insanejournal.com/6513.html

Originally posted here

David Gerard: Jay Blanc originally shared this post:
Apparently confirmed. If Google force a European Account Holder to have a public Google Profile with their "real name" on it, they are BREAKING THE LAW. Read below. US account holders should write a letter to Larry Page and the Board of Google to pressure them into changing their policy. https://plus.google.com/u/0/106055159954550860573/posts/U5u4WYpF7uc

If you're an EU Google Account holder, you can write a complaint to your local Google offices, then if they fail to reply and take corrective action, take them to your EU nation's information commission. You can find their offices here - http://www.google.com/intl/en/about/corporate/company/address.html so start the letter writing.

Just checking over this, but it does look like "Google Profiles" breaches european privacy law, specifically "The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003"'s section 18 on directories of subscribers. Basically, anyone running a communications service in the EU who publishes a public directory, has to allow subscribers an opt-out from this directory or allow them to be entirely selective as to what if any information is published about them.

Update: As Google operate Gmail and Gtalk services to EU subscribers, they are covered by this legislation. It does look airtight, Google are required by EU law to allow the subscribe full control over what is and is not made public on their profile. And they may even require google to make their profile entirely private.

Please re-share this.

Update 2: I have contacted the Data Commissioner's office, and have been instructed I do appear to have a legitimate grounds for complaint against Google, as does any other EU account holder, and I should write a written complaint to their offices at

Data Protection Officer

Google London
Google UK Ltd
Belgrave House
76 Buckingham Palace Road
London SW1W 9TQ
United Kingdom
The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003
These Regulations implement Articles 2, 4, 5(3), 6 to 13, 15 and 16 of Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and...

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Crossposts: http://ceruleancat.insanejournal.com/4846.html

Someone made a vid demonstrating what happens if you sequentially upgrade Microsoft operating systems, Dos to Win7.

(You can ignore the installation terminology babble during the process, and just watch.)
Interesting that it can be done.

( Resultant geek nostalgia )

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Fascinating Rhythm
Crossposts: http://ceruleancat.insanejournal.com/4096.html

This has been happening a lot recently. You click on a google link and a security warning pops up, telling you your system is infected and you need to follow the screens to remove the infection. The warning comes up with bells and whistles, flashing red, or showing you a gif perporting to be your system files being accessed.
If you know what you're doing, you do not fall for this. You close the screen, using the x on the top corner, close your browser, and for added security, run known and reliable antivirus and antimalware programs, just to be on the safe side.

What happens if you ok the malware into your system? Fred Langa (Windows Secrets) tried. I will just quote his bottom line:

Using security tools is no substitute for common sense. Malware like this is actually very easy to avoid, if you pay attention to what’s going up on your screen.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: That's why they call it the blues

Read Woody Leonhard's column about the privacy concerns with Windows Live and its adjoined Messenger and Hotmail.

Some highlights:

"...imagine my surprise when I discovered that the so-called new and improved, privacy-conscious version of Windows Live — the social-networking sphere containing Messenger and Hotmail — continues to share my personal information, even when I explicitly tell it to keep my info and communications private."

"MS has also taken the liberty of converting your Messenger contacts into Friends. It then shares information about these new Friends with each other. To try to prevent this sharing (and, based on my tests, you can't), you have to navigate a mind-boggling labyrinth of privacy settings."

"When I use Facebook, I fully expect that other people will be able to see what I'm doing. No problem — I would never use Facebook for sensitive business communications. But when I use Messenger, I expect it to be as private as a phone call.

"I don't expect my iPhone to suddenly start telling me, "Your dentist called Bank of America an hour ago, your wife just got off the phone with Isaiah Mustafa, and your son is dialing 1-900-HOT-DATES." That's essentially what Windows Live is doing, using Messenger and Hotmail."

Yahoo now shares information of users online activity with their contacts.
That means everyone on your contact list -- including your mom or work colleagues -- gets updated on what you do on any account that is linked to your yahoo info, including which contacts you talk to and where you've posted a comment.
The default setting is sharing and you have to go and actively change a whole set of entries or hide the profile to maintain your privacy. The profile cannot be deleted, so hide seems the best option for privacy.

The settings are at pulse.yahoo.com
Login is the usual yahoo one.

Click Settings (upper-right side of the page). >> Under "Privacy" click Manage Privacy Settings. >> Check the box next to “Hide my profile”. >> Click Save.

Settings >> Under "Updates" click Manage Updates. >> uncheck the box next to “Share my updates”. >> Click Save

According to yahoo "Visitors to your page see a gray face, your display name, and a message stating that you’ve hidden your profile. People, including your connections, won’t be able to search for you, contact you through Yahoo! Pulse, or invite you to connect."
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If you want partial sharing, you should go through all parts of settings and figure out what you want to share and with who.

It's a good idea to check the sharing vs. privacy settings on other services as well. I have a vague recollection gmail did something similar.

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Info from yahoo:
How do I manage my privacy settings? http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/pulse/infopage/pinfopage-06.html
How do I link or unlink my Yahoo! account and my other social network accounts? http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/pulse/socialnetwork/psnetwork-08.html