OSNews: http://www.osnews.com/story/26331/Microsoft_updates_privacy_policy_to_match_Google_s Exploring the Future of Computing en-us Copyright 2001-2013, David Adams adam+nospam@osnews.com Sat, 25 May 2013 19:48:49 GMT http://www.osnews.com/images/osnews.gif OSNews.com http://www.osnews.com The difference is competence http://www.osnews.com/thread?533659 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533659 The question is:

Should we be concerned over Google's competence, or Microsoft's incompetence?

In the context of data mining, social media and the cloud, is there an essential difference between competence in data mining and incompetence in security? Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:16:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (kwan_e) Comments RE: The difference is competence http://www.osnews.com/thread?533660 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533660 Both. Google is doing a lot of interesting things with the user data. Throw in Microsoft, poor guard for those results, and you get the privacy disaster of the decade.

I like Google's products, and a lot of their policies are quite good for the user.
There are moments though, and some specific services, that make me glad I don't mix my RL, with my online persona in any meaningful way. Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:40:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Yehppael) Comments Re: http://www.osnews.com/thread?533662 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533662 "that make me glad I don't mix my RL, with my online persona in any meaningful way."

They have a fix for that: Want to buy some apps from our Market? We need you credit card. Now they have you (even prepaid credit cards have real names).

Then there are always carriers that will happily hand over details if it's for their benefit. Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:59:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (kurkosdr) Comments Microsoft, PR machine first, software maker second. http://www.osnews.com/thread?533665 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533665 Exactly. Mon, 03 Sep 2012 10:08:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Beta) Comments RE[2]: The difference is competence http://www.osnews.com/thread?533667 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533667 Consider this - it's Google's core business pillar to keep the user data away from advertisers and make money by being the gatekeepers. Mon, 03 Sep 2012 12:06:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (JAlexoid) Comments Where's the government? http://www.osnews.com/thread?533679 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533679 Where's the government?
Shouldn't be there protecting people's rights and data? Mon, 03 Sep 2012 15:47:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (oper) Comments Comment by Drumhellar http://www.osnews.com/thread?533683 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533683 I think the lack of outrage is because it's already been spent on Google's changes.
Typically, when one company does something which others do later, people only get pissed at the first to do it. Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:01:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Drumhellar) Comments RE: Where's the government? http://www.osnews.com/thread?533685 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533685
Where's the government?
Shouldn't be there protecting people's rights and data?


In that case, you would be asking the government to do the impossible. The entertainment industry has been using the government for years to try and protect their own data (content), and haven't had much success. So if an entity like that, with all of its millions to spend on the problem can't keep a 15yo from sharing the latest Snoop Dogg album with several million of his friends, despite laws being passed to aid in the effort, why do you think the government would have any better luck trying to keep Joe Sixpack's personal information under wraps?

Newsflash: if people/companies want to share your personal/private info, they're going to do so. And there's nothing that you or the government can do about it. Why? Because the technology makes preventing sharing impossible. In some cases, it's great for us. In other cases, it comes back to bite us in the ass. That's just the way it goes. Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:17:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (WorknMan) Comments RE: Re: http://www.osnews.com/thread?533689 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533689 That is exactly why I've been able to stay away from this, by not getting an Android phone.

It is currently one of the only two reasons I don't use/have an Android phone right now. All the other problems are fixed.

The release of Jelly Bean was the last round that solved some of the previous reasons.

I want to love Google, but they are and always will be privacy problem waiting to happen.

They even offered me a job, I could probably be making more money and have a bigger house or do even more technically interresting work.

But this was one of the reasons I didn't talk to them.

I think free services sponsored by advertising is a great thing. Websites like OSNews for example are great.

I even run a website is sponsored by advertising. Alexa claims OSNews is in the top 30,000 most populair websites worldwide, our site is in the top 40,000.

But I don't want my data analyzed. Google already does that when I do a Google search, but at least that is some what anonymous.Edited 2012-09-03 16:54 UTC Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:44:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Lennie) Comments No affect http://www.osnews.com/thread?533693 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533693 [quote]Let me guess: no outraged blog posts from the usual suspects this time around.[/quote]

I personally don't use any MS products, and so would not complain about this change, since it doesn't affect me. Very few tech savvy users use MS web products. Which is why subtle changes to those services (such as new TOS), aren't going to be reported as much. Mon, 03 Sep 2012 17:05:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (arpan) Comments RE: Re: http://www.osnews.com/thread?533705 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533705 kurkosdr,

"even prepaid credit cards have real names"

I've used some prepaid credit cards, you can buy them as gift certificates over the counter without any questions... Admittedly the last time I used one was in high school, so I guess it's possible that the patriot act has since outlawed untraceable cards?


More to the point of the topic though, google stores a tremendous amount of indirect personal data. The geolocation service built into firefox 3.5 sends google data any time ANY WEBSITE invokes a geolocation query.

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Using_geolocation

"Firefox 3.5 includes support for locating you based on your WiFi information using Google Location Services. In the transaction between Firefox 3.5 and Google, data is exchanged including WiFi Access Point data, an access token (similar to a 2 week cookie), and the user's IP address."

In theory, it would be feasible for google to invoke the firefox geolocation API programmatically from their own google analytics and adsense services deployed throughout the web and view the user's proximity to specific WiFi access points.

Opinions may differ as to whether this is a valid privacy concern, however one thing is certain, most users are not aware of how they're being tracked by google even on 3rd party sites (like osnews). Mon, 03 Sep 2012 19:35:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Alfman) Comments Comment by squelart http://www.osnews.com/thread?533718 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533718 Let me guess: no outraged blog posts from the usual suspects this time around.

As in: Thom won't complain because it's not about Apple's evil policies? ;-) Mon, 03 Sep 2012 21:33:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (squelart) Comments RE[2]: Where's the government? http://www.osnews.com/thread?533767 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533767
you would be asking the government to do the impossible

Those "privacy policies" affect a lot of millions of people and they are abusive. For example, the government can declare them illegal. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:22:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (oper) Comments Comment by marcp http://www.osnews.com/thread?533843 http://www.osnews.com/thread?533843 Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter - F#%@ you all.

I use services that respect my freedom of choice, freedom from oppression and my privacy.
To name a few:
https://startpage.com
https://duckduckgo.com

... and libre operating systems. Shove your sick privacy policies up your ass. I vote with my wallet. I support those who don't try to $@!# with me. I pay them from my gratitude, not because I'm being forced to.

Enough said. Goodbye. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 20:05:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (marcp) Comments