Category: Electronic Rights

Google: Doing Evil to its users

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Google, a company with a philosophy that includes: #6: “You can make money without doing evil”. is now, doing just that with:

  • AutoLink: Google modifies publisher content via their toolbar in Windows Internet Explorer (simple answer – don’t), making it look like original links. Dave Winer dives in and explains the issues. John Robb points out googles strategic error.
  • The Google toolbar phones home with every page you land on, and tattles to Google what you’re looking at, while offering up your globally-unique Google cookie ID that expires in 2038.

ID Theft & ChoicePoint Imbroglio

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“We regret to inform you that your identity has been stolen. We hope this does not cause an inconvenience.” Robert O’Harrow, Jr:

Earlier this week, ChoicePoint officials said the records of about 35,000 people in California may have been disclosed. But yesterday, the company said the scope of the scheme is probably much wider than it originally reported. Company officials said they were sending out more letters to 110,000 addresses throughout the country that may be connected to the reports delivered to the fraudsters.

“We have reason to believe your personal information may have been obtained by unauthorized third parties, and we deeply regret any inconvenience this event may
cause you,” the letters say.

Authorities said the number of records involved may go higher as the investigation continues. “This is way far more reaching,” said Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Lt. Robert Costa, commander of an identity theft unit. “I believe that when we’re done it will be more than a half million nationally. It’s huge.”

I ran into Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenshlager at the Winter Farmer’s Market and mentioned that only California apparently has a law requiring notification of identity theft…. It’s long past time for Wisconsin to act.

Garbage Survellience

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Hugh Muir:

Though he foresaw many ways in which Big Brother might watch us, even George Orwell never imagined that the authorities would keep a keen eye on
your bin.

Residents of Croydon, south London, have been told that the microchips
being inserted into their new wheely bins may well be adapted so that the
council can judge whether they are producing too much rubbish.

If the technology suggests that they are, errant residents may be visited
by officials bearing advice on how they might “manage their rubbish more
effectively”.

I wonder if Madison’s forthcoming trash bins include this “feature”?

Consumer Database Giant Gives Personal Information to Fake Firms

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Bob Sullivan:

Criminals posing as legitimate businesses have accessed critical personal data stored by ChoicePoint Inc., a firm that maintains databases of background information on virtually every U.S. citizen, MSNBC.com has learned.
The incident involves a wide swath of consumer data, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, credit reports and other information. ChoicePoint aggregates and sells such personal information to government agencies and private companies.

California is the only state that requires these personal data mining firms to notify people who have had their information compromised. I wonder where our political leaders stand on this?

T-Mobile Security Hack – Privacy, Please

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Bruce Schneier on privacy in the internet era:

This is new. A dozen years ago, if someone wanted to look through your mail, they would have to break into your house.
Now they can just break into your ISP. Ten years ago, your voicemail was on an answering machine in your house; now it’s on a computer owned by a telephone company. Your financial data is on Websites protected only by passwords. The list of books you browse, and the books you buy, is stored in the computers of some online bookseller. Your affinity card allows your supermarket to know what food you like. Data that used to be under your direct control is now controlled by others.