Tag Archives: google

Related News: Lawsuit alleging Gmail ads are “wiretapping” gets judge’s OK

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One new article link has been added to our Related News page. Ars Technica published an article titled Lawsuit alleging Gmail ads are “wiretapping” gets judge’s OK.

It’s widely understood that the ads Google puts in Gmail are based on the content of e-mails. The millions of Gmail users presumably accept the company’s promise that “no humans read your e-mail.”

Despite that, a lawsuit claiming that Google’s practice violates pre-Internet anti-wiretapping laws will be going forward. Lawyers representing non-Gmail users of various stripes in a class-action lawsuit say their clients never agreed to have their e-mails intercepted and scanned by Google. They argue that Google’s “interception” of those e-mails violates federal anti-wiretapping laws and state privacy laws. And today, US District Judge Lucy Koh agreed with them, refusing to grant Google’s motion to dismiss the case.

Source: Ars Technica

Related News: Google knows nearly every Wi-Fi password in the world

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One new article link has been added to our Related News page. Computerworld published an article titled Google knows nearly every Wi-Fi password in the world.

If an Android device (phone or tablet) has ever logged on to a particular Wi-Fi network, then Google probably knows the Wi-Fi password. Considering how many Android devices there are, it is likely that Google can access most Wi-Fi passwords worldwide.

Recently IDC reported that 187 million Android phones were shipped in the second quarter of this year. That multiplies out to 748 million phones in 2013, a figure that does not include Android tablets.

Many (probably most) of these Android phones and tablets are phoning home to Google, backing up Wi-Fi passwords along with other assorted settings. And, although they have never said so directly, it is obvious that Google can read the passwords.

Source: Computerworld

Related News: GOOGLE: If You Send To Gmail, You Have ‘No Legitimate Expectation Of Privacy’

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One new article link has been added to our Related News page. SFGate published an article titled GOOGLE: If You Send To Gmail, You Have ‘No Legitimate Expectation Of Privacy’.

If you happen to send an email to one of the 400 million people who use Google’s Gmail service, you shouldn’t have any expectation of privacy, according to a court briefing obtained by the Consumer Watchdog website.

In a motion filed last month by Google to have a class action complaint dismissed, Google’s lawyers reference a 1979 ruling, holding that people who turn over information to third parties shouldn’t expect that information to remain private.

Source: SFGate

Related News: ‘Google for spies’ draws ire from rights groups

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One new article link has been added to our Related News page. The Sydney Morning Herald published an article titled ‘Google for spies’ draws ire from rights groups.

The power of Riot to harness websites for surveillance offers a rare insight into techniques that have attracted interest from intelligence and national security agencies, at the same time prompting civil liberties and online privacy concerns.

Using Riot it is possible to gain a picture of a person’s life – their friends, the places they visit charted on a map – in little more than a few clicks of a button.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald