Consumer Watchdog critical to Google usage of personal info!

Message

nooby · #1 Post by **nooby** » Mon 24 Oct 2011, 18:39

It is much worse than I ever thought. They are really at it!

Read my post today on second page. 15 Nov 2011.
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 240#583240

old text
Nope I have not really read the text. I just wanted to share it
in case it is important. Being as naive I am it is no use I try to
grasp it. I am not on that level.
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/newsrel ... estigation

[quote]
Consumer Watchdog has created a You Tube video
showing how your computer could be having an unnoticed conversation
about you with Google.
The nonprofit group has called on Google’s founders and directors
to adopt new privacy safeguards that allow for anonymous internet
and software use. Watch the video here and read the letter to
Google’s founders here.

Earlier this month Consumer Watchdog wrote the Justice Department
to block Google’s proposed advertising alliance with Yahoo based on
these privacy concerns; an announcement about the deal is expected
later this week.

The letter notes that the introduction of Google’s new browser,
known as “Chrome,

Aitch · #2 Post by **Aitch** » Tue 25 Oct 2011, 18:09

Here's why

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/new ... s-browsing

https://blog.torproject.org/blog/google ... erprinting

Tor would normally work with most browsers.....

I thought I'd read that google had changed it, following public outcry?

http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-20 ... gle-gears/

Google was careful to address privacy concerns and point out that the enhancements don't track which sites you've been downloading files from.

Another security change adds the user's ability to delete Flash cookies. This makes sense, given that Flash has come baked into Chrome for some time.

http://www.google.com/privacy/faq.html

I think it was Microshaft who started the FUD campaign - rival product wars, I'd say

Aitch

nooby · #3 Post by **nooby** » Wed 26 Oct 2011, 19:47

To us who are "challenged"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_unce ... _and_doubt

FUD stands for

Fear, uncertainty and doubt, frequently abbreviated as FUD, is a tactic used in sales, marketing, public relations, politics and propaganda. FUD is generally a strategic attempt to influence public perception by disseminating negative and dubious/false information designed to undermine the credibility of their beliefs. An individual firm, for example, might use FUD to invite unfavorable opinions and speculation about a competitor's product; to increase the general estimation of switching costs among current customers; or to maintain leverage over a current business partner who could potentially become a rival.

The term originated to describe disinformation tactics in the computer hardware industry and has since been used more broadly.
FUD is a manifestation of the appeal to fear.

Okay so it is competing firms that try to portray them in as bad light as possible? Who knows. That could be the case indeed.

tasmod · #4 Post by **tasmod** » Sat 29 Oct 2011, 16:46

There was a large outcry amongst savvy users when Chrome was first released.

The amount and type of info sent back to Google was outstanding. So much so that I did one test only before dropping Chrome like a hot brick !

Whether that situation has changed is another matter. Google wants the info, it will only play down that which it has to.

Lets face it.

Google ONLY, stress ONLY, makes money by selling directly targeted ads.

How does it get that targeting? By getting as much info about YOUR browsing as possible. That's how.

It is not in their interest to make browsing private!!

nooby · #5 Post by **nooby** » Sat 29 Oct 2011, 17:04

Rob you can be right on the money there.

Remember how criticised Google got when it was obvious them
collected every private WIFI when them snooped around taking
all these movies of streets of London.

What should them have all the info about the wifi routers for?
Well some guess it would allow them to pin point every MAC
address to every physical point in the Google map.

I mean think about it. I have a wifi router and it has a MAC
address that is unique. When I go online then Google know
exact what house that is that I live in due to the MAC was
collected when them drove around collecting Wifi routers.

If one do such a thing then one really are at it and that is no FUD
that is real fact.

tasmod · #6 Post by **tasmod** » Sat 29 Oct 2011, 17:42

Well you can hide your wi-fi essid and network. BUT a frequency scan WILL reveal it's existence.

So they will know you have wi-fi but it's too much time/trouble for Google picture vans to spend time packet sniffing to determine the network.

nooby · #7 Post by **nooby** » Sat 29 Oct 2011, 18:37

Should we not trust them have stopped collecting such info?

IIRC them said the idea was to make people able to find each other.

That sounds so friendly until one get that the angry husband that
want to hurt the hiding wife now can ask google how to find her.

qkall · #8 Post by **qkall** » Mon 31 Oct 2011, 18:15

isn't this a viable option? or am i being too optimistic?

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/deta ... apmkghcbnh

nooby · #9 Post by **nooby** » Mon 31 Oct 2011, 20:19

To provide website visitors with more choice
about how their data is collected by Google Analytics,
we have developed the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

The add-on communicates with the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js)
to indicate that information about the website visit should not be sent
to Google Analytics.

The good thing is that them do care but the bad thing is that it is
an opt out instead of an opt in.

It is even rude to do such things. Such things should always be opt in.

Now what is opt in?

To purposefully accept some situation or condition ahead of time.
For example, to opt-in to an e-mail campaign means that you want to
receive periodic newsletters or information, which may include
advertising from the publisher or third parties.

An opt-in program implies that you can cancel the service,
or "opt-out." A lot of spam is sent out under the guise that,
at one point, you did opt-in for the program, which may or
may not be true. See spam.

We did not ask them to collect info. Them forced it on us.
So it was not an opt in at all.

Aitch · #10 Post by **Aitch** » Mon 31 Oct 2011, 23:52

qkall wrote:isn't this a viable option? or am i being too optimistic?

running firefox with google search engine

Sorry, we don't support your browser just yet. You'll need Google Chrome to install apps, extensions and themes.Download Google Chrome

Aitch

nooby · #11 Post by **nooby** » Tue 01 Nov 2011, 06:14

Aitch point to something important.

Suppose one are running like this

running firefox with google search engine

And suppose one use both NoScript and AdblockPlus or some similar.

How does this opt out work then? Them don't even accept that one
come that way and want to be Opted out do they?

And them say nothing about the persistent cookies that many make use of

They could add. And we promise to delete all persistent cookies even from other commercial or non-commercial parties that we find and if we fail to remove them then we show you name of file and where we found it.

That would be showing good faith in the customer. To be on our side.

qkall · #12 Post by **qkall** » Tue 01 Nov 2011, 16:15

Aitch wrote:
qkall wrote:isn't this a viable option? or am i being too optimistic?
running firefox with google search engine

Sorry, we don't support your browser just yet. You'll need Google Chrome to install apps, extensions and themes.Download Google Chrome
Aitch

http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Aitch · #13 Post by **Aitch** » Tue 01 Nov 2011, 17:07

qkall

Excellent, thanks....I should have known there'd be one
It seems that you have to install it for each browser...

For more details on installing and uninstalling the add-on, please see the relevant help resources for your browser. We've provided links for a few popular browsers below:

* Mozilla Firefox
* Microsoft Internet Explorer
* Google Chrome
* Apple Safari
* Opera

Google Website Optimizer uses the Google Analytics Javascript (ga.js) to collect visit and conversion data for experiments. Visitors with the opt-out installed will see experiment variations but those visits and conversions will not be shown in Website Optimizer reports.

note my highlight - experiment variations??

Aitch

nooby · #14 Post by **nooby** » Tue 01 Nov 2011, 18:35

Embarrassingly I fail to get what it say. So what am I suppose to do
if I use Firefox with NoScript installed and applied?

Aitch · #15 Post by **Aitch** » Tue 01 Nov 2011, 22:48

nooby

I run ff with noscript and adblockplus.....no problem....it's just an add-on you see in tools

Aitch

Aitch · #16 Post by **Aitch** » Sat 05 Nov 2011, 00:01

More google personal data trouble brewing

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 915#579915

Aitch

nooby · #17 Post by **nooby** » Tue 15 Nov 2011, 21:18

This activity of google map car collecting Wifi was much worse than
what I ever thought. They are really at it. Still. Despite all criticism.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/11/google-wi-fi-mapping/

Google lets you opt out of Wi-Fi mapping
By Edwin Kee on 11/15/2011 05:44 PST

Whenever you see a Google Street View car
snap photos of the street around, it will also rely on
a laser radar in order to obtain the shapes of buildings
correctly in Google Earth, while searching the airwaves
for a couple of key ID numbers on the Wi-Fi networks at
each property – namely, the router’s Media Access Control (MAC)
address and the Service Set Identifier (SSID).

Those who were relaxed in securing their Wi-Fi networks
also ended up with Google picking personal data in the process.

This is extreme. How can this be legal to collect all that personal info?

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Consumer Watchdog critical to Google usage of personal info!

Consumer Watchdog critical to Google usage of personal info!