Google: Cool or Creepy? - DoubleClick Makes Things Worse
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It’s not just Privacy International that is upset with Google over potential privacy issues. Ever since the search engine purchased DoubleClick, consumer interest groups have been up in arms. Three of these groups amended the complaint they originally filed in April with the Federal Trade Commission about the deal. They want to see some strong restrictions imposed on the use and collection of personal data before the FTC gives the nod to the deal.
The groups making the complaint include the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). The 21-page supplement, linked here in PDF form, doesn’t exactly contain surprises if you’ve been paying attention, but it is a little uncomfortable seeing all the privacy issues brought together in one place. Among other things it notes that Google “fails to follow generally accepted privacy practices such as the OECD Privacy Guidelines…Google also fails to adopted [sic] additional privacy provisions with respect to specific Google services.” One example of this notes that Google logs searches in such a way that they’re personally identifiable, but doesn’t give users a way to edit or get rid of records of their previous searches.
The complaint also states that “DoubleClick fails to follow commonly accepted privacy practices.” The three consumer interest organizations definitely don’t think this combination bodes well for the future. “The combination of Google (the world’s largest Internet search engine) with DoubleClick (the world’s largest Internet advertising technology firm) would allow the combined company to become the gatekeeper for Internet content. The combined company would hold such a huge amount of market share that other companies would need to ask for or buy from Google/DoubleClick the access rights to this vast amount of Internet data.” Do you really want a gatekeeper that large that is not fiercely protective of the privacy of its users?
The original 11-page complaint made certain “requests for relief” of the FTC that included an investigation of the proposed acquisition and ordering Google to “present a public plan for how it plans to comply with such well established government and industry privacy standards as the OECD Privacy Guidelines.” The supplement makes 16 more requests, including ordering Google to stipulate that it will never engage in behavioral tracking, to stop storing IP addresses, and “to craft, disclose, and implement a security plan that will maintain, protect, or enhance the privacy, confidentiality, or security of all personally identifiable information.”
There are times when bigger isn’t better, and this looks like one of those times.
Next: Google’s Response >>
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