| Google's Strange Attack on Bloggers and the Public Internet: the Massive ... Forbes Does Google understand the concept of corporate social responsibility? That seems to be the basic question around the company's strange decision to shut down a tiny service that serves as a major audience conduit for many thousands of bloggers, citizen ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| Google's Android chief Andy Rubin steps down Reuters Google appointed Sundar Pichai, the executive overseeing its Chrome web browser and applications like Google Drive and Gmail, to take over Rubin's responsibilities, hinting at how the company with the dominant Internet search engine intends to address ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
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| Google Android Chief Andy Rubin Steps Aside Wall Street Journal Andy Rubin stepped aside as head of Google Inc.'s Android business, just as the Internet giant faces the task of handling an increasingly complicated set of partnerships that made the mobile-phone software a success. Google Chief Executive Larry Page ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| Google yanks ad-blocker apps from Google Play CNET Basically, Google seems to be saying don't mess with advertising -- which is the Web giant's central source of revenue. Jared Rummler, the developer for the Ad Blocker Root app, announced on Twitter that his app was yanked from Google Play today. See all stories on this topic » | ||
| Google's Rubin steps aside; Pichai takes over Android USA TODAY SAN FRANCISCO — Andy Rubin, the leader of Google's Android mobile group, has left his position at the top spot, a move that creates uncertainty for the world's most popular smartphone operating system. Android will be run by Sundar Pichai in addition ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| Meet Google's Sundar Pichai: The exec who now runs Android Los Angeles Times Its growth has begun to flatten, and Google executives have begun to worry about Samsung Electronics Co.'s dominance of Android. The South Korean company sells about 40% of the gadgets that use Android software and is about to unveil the highly ... See all stories on this topic » |
Amazon Cuts Price of Large-Screen Kindle Fire HD
亞馬遜下調大屏幕Kindle Fire HD售價
亞馬遜公司將大屏幕Kindle Fire HD平板電腦售價下調至多20%﹐Android Devices Set to Overtake iPad in Market Share
Google Puts Android and Chrome Under One Boss
By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER
The change signals Google’s evolving thinking about its two operating systems and two growing businesses, hardware and mobile.
Google Android Chief Andy Rubin Steps AsideAndy Rubin, leader of Google Inc.'s Android mobile operating system, is stepping aside, the company said on Wednesday.
Google Chief Executive Larry Page said in a post on the company's blog that Sundar Pichai, the head of Google's Chrome ...
Google to Settle Street View Case and More
谷歌承認街景地圖侵犯公眾隱私
報道 2013年03月13日
Karen Bleier/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
一輛谷歌街景車在弗吉尼亞州森特維爾附近的66號州際公路上採集圖像。
舊金山——周二，谷歌公司(Google)對州級官員承認，在進行街景(Street View)地圖項目的過程中侵犯了公眾的隱私權，隨意從不知情的計算機用戶那裡截取密碼和電子郵件等私人信息。
搜索公司谷歌同意就38個州針對該項目提起的訴訟達成和解，因此，該公司首次接到要求，必須在隱私問題上嚴格約束員工，並明確告知公眾應如何防範此類侵犯隱私的行為。
和解協議中還包含一筆700萬美元（約合4350萬元人民幣）的小額罰款（對谷歌來說），不過，按照隱私倡導人士和谷歌批評者的說法，對這家不斷侵犯隱私的公司而言，這項總體協議算得上是個突破。
多方投訴導致了近年來的數次執法行動，針對該地圖項目搜集私人計算機用戶個人數據的方式，有關方面也展開了一系列世界性調查。
斯科特·克萊蘭(Scott Cleland)為谷歌的競爭對手擔任顧問，同時進行消費者監督，他的博客密切關注着谷歌的隱私問題。他說，“谷歌把創新置於一切之上，不願徵求許可。但各州定下了一個基調，表明它們關注此事，有一條界線谷歌不應當逾越。”
克萊蘭稱，和解協議也為圍繞着谷歌眼鏡(Google Glass)的隱私大戰開闢了道路，谷歌正在大力推廣這種眼鏡外形的可佩戴電腦。“如果你使用谷歌眼鏡拍下一對伴侶在星巴克(Starbucks)里竊竊 私語，算不算是侵犯他們的隱私呢？”他問道，“好吧，38個州剛剛給出了答案，他們不能接受不經授權搜集公眾數據的做法。”
康涅狄格州檢察長喬治·傑普森(George Jepsen)牽頭進行了此次州際調查，他表示，自己希望這次和解能催生一個全新的谷歌。
“這是家行業巨頭。它正在改變自身的企業文化，以期提高對個人數據隱私問題的敏感度，”他說。
不過，並不是每個人都給出了掌聲。經常批評谷歌的隱私監督機構“消費者監督組織”(Consumer Watchdog)稱，“要求谷歌教育消費者如何保護隱私，就好比讓狐狸教育小雞怎麼保證雞窩的安全。”
谷歌的女發言人妮基·芬威克(Niki Fenwick)周二表示，“我們一貫努力讓谷歌在隱私權問題上正確行事，但在本案中，我們沒有做到，有鑒於此，我們迅速加強了對自身系統的監管，以便解決這一問題。”
去年夏天，由於谷歌繞開了Safari瀏覽器的隱私設置，美國聯邦貿易委員會（Federal Trade Commission，簡稱FTC）對其開出了2250萬美元的罰單，這也是FTC歷史上數額最大的一張民事罰單。2011年，谷歌承認推出Buzz社交 網絡時採用了欺騙性策略，因此同意FTC對其進行20年的審計。該協議中還包含了數項相當模糊的隱私條款。
新的和解協議較為詳細，要求谷歌在六個月之內成立一個隱私項目組。除了其他要求之外，谷歌還必須每年為員工舉辦一個隱私周。它必須為一些員工提供隱私認證項目，為監督新產品的律師提供最新的培訓，並為處理隱私事務的員工提供培訓。
其中幾項條款涉及了公司之外的群體。谷歌必須為YouTube製作一段視頻，解釋人們怎麼能輕輕鬆鬆地將無線網絡上的數據加密，還必須在兩年之內天天在網上播放廣告，宣傳這段視頻。
“谷歌必須達到一些最低標準，”同谷歌談判的康涅狄格州助理檢察長馬修·菲茨西蒙斯(Matthew Fitzsimmons)說，“這將影響到谷歌將來如何推出產品和服務。”
電子隱私信息中心(Electronic PrivacyInformation Center)的馬克·盧騰伯格(Marc Rotenberg)表示，和解協議是“各州檢察長做出的重大隱私決策”，並補充說，“協議表現了各州檢察長當前在保護互聯網用戶隱私權方面的重要作 用。”
之所以發生街景案，是因為谷歌派遣特殊車輛去給世界各地大街小巷兩側的房屋和辦公室拍照。多年來，谷歌公司還一直在收集流經網絡的私人信息，比如郵箱、醫療和財務記錄以及密碼。公司還從數以百萬計的未加密無線網絡上搜集數據。
世界範圍的騷動隨之而起，至少十二個國家進行了調查。澳大利亞的調查人員斯蒂芬·康羅伊(Stephen Conroy)稱這“可能是隱私史上最大的違規事件”。谷歌最初否認從不知情的個人那裡收集了任何數據，然後又試圖淡化所得數據的性質，並同希望檢查數據 的監管人員對抗。谷歌稱，數據已經被銷毀了，但事實證明，部分數據並沒有被毀。一些數據遭到了清除，但谷歌一直持有餘下的數據，直到幾起私人訴訟案件得到 解決為止。
谷歌公司將這一行動推到了一名行為惡劣的工程師身上，但聯邦通信委員會（Federal Communications Commission，簡稱FCC）表示，這名工程師是和其他人一起工作的，而且曾嘗試向上級彙報自己的所作所為。該機構表示，與其說這名工程師行為惡 劣，還不如說他沒有受到監管。去年春天，谷歌因妨礙FCC的調查而被罰款25000美元。
過去幾年，谷歌多次說自己正在加強隱私監管，增加監督和控制層級。然而，對涉案各州來說，這些保障措施還不夠。
“我們顯然認為，他們能做更多，”康涅狄格州助理檢察長菲茨西蒙斯說。由各州檢察長組成的執行委員會將監督谷歌對協議的執行情況。700萬美元的罰款對谷歌來說不過是零花錢，因為谷歌每天的凈收入就有3200萬美元左右。
“在這些案件中，重要的不是錢，而是公開的指責，”曾在FTC下屬的消費者保護局(Bureau of Consumer Protection)擔任負責人的喬治城大學(Georgetown University)法學教授戴維·弗拉傑克(David Vladeck)說，“而且我認為，人們對谷歌的不滿是有理由的，谷歌首先就不該收集信息，隨後的解釋又很蹩腳。”
搜索公司谷歌同意就38個州針對該項目提起的訴訟達成和解，因此，該公司首次接到要求，必須在隱私問題上嚴格約束員工，並明確告知公眾應如何防範此類侵犯隱私的行為。
和解協議中還包含一筆700萬美元（約合4350萬元人民幣）的小額罰款（對谷歌來說），不過，按照隱私倡導人士和谷歌批評者的說法，對這家不斷侵犯隱私的公司而言，這項總體協議算得上是個突破。
多方投訴導致了近年來的數次執法行動，針對該地圖項目搜集私人計算機用戶個人數據的方式，有關方面也展開了一系列世界性調查。
斯科特·克萊蘭(Scott Cleland)為谷歌的競爭對手擔任顧問，同時進行消費者監督，他的博客密切關注着谷歌的隱私問題。他說，“谷歌把創新置於一切之上，不願徵求許可。但各州定下了一個基調，表明它們關注此事，有一條界線谷歌不應當逾越。”
克萊蘭稱，和解協議也為圍繞着谷歌眼鏡(Google Glass)的隱私大戰開闢了道路，谷歌正在大力推廣這種眼鏡外形的可佩戴電腦。“如果你使用谷歌眼鏡拍下一對伴侶在星巴克(Starbucks)里竊竊 私語，算不算是侵犯他們的隱私呢？”他問道，“好吧，38個州剛剛給出了答案，他們不能接受不經授權搜集公眾數據的做法。”
康涅狄格州檢察長喬治·傑普森(George Jepsen)牽頭進行了此次州際調查，他表示，自己希望這次和解能催生一個全新的谷歌。
“這是家行業巨頭。它正在改變自身的企業文化，以期提高對個人數據隱私問題的敏感度，”他說。
不過，並不是每個人都給出了掌聲。經常批評谷歌的隱私監督機構“消費者監督組織”(Consumer Watchdog)稱，“要求谷歌教育消費者如何保護隱私，就好比讓狐狸教育小雞怎麼保證雞窩的安全。”
谷歌的女發言人妮基·芬威克(Niki Fenwick)周二表示，“我們一貫努力讓谷歌在隱私權問題上正確行事，但在本案中，我們沒有做到，有鑒於此，我們迅速加強了對自身系統的監管，以便解決這一問題。”
去年夏天，由於谷歌繞開了Safari瀏覽器的隱私設置，美國聯邦貿易委員會（Federal Trade Commission，簡稱FTC）對其開出了2250萬美元的罰單，這也是FTC歷史上數額最大的一張民事罰單。2011年，谷歌承認推出Buzz社交 網絡時採用了欺騙性策略，因此同意FTC對其進行20年的審計。該協議中還包含了數項相當模糊的隱私條款。
新的和解協議較為詳細，要求谷歌在六個月之內成立一個隱私項目組。除了其他要求之外，谷歌還必須每年為員工舉辦一個隱私周。它必須為一些員工提供隱私認證項目，為監督新產品的律師提供最新的培訓，並為處理隱私事務的員工提供培訓。
其中幾項條款涉及了公司之外的群體。谷歌必須為YouTube製作一段視頻，解釋人們怎麼能輕輕鬆鬆地將無線網絡上的數據加密，還必須在兩年之內天天在網上播放廣告，宣傳這段視頻。
“谷歌必須達到一些最低標準，”同谷歌談判的康涅狄格州助理檢察長馬修·菲茨西蒙斯(Matthew Fitzsimmons)說，“這將影響到谷歌將來如何推出產品和服務。”
電子隱私信息中心(Electronic PrivacyInformation Center)的馬克·盧騰伯格(Marc Rotenberg)表示，和解協議是“各州檢察長做出的重大隱私決策”，並補充說，“協議表現了各州檢察長當前在保護互聯網用戶隱私權方面的重要作 用。”
之所以發生街景案，是因為谷歌派遣特殊車輛去給世界各地大街小巷兩側的房屋和辦公室拍照。多年來，谷歌公司還一直在收集流經網絡的私人信息，比如郵箱、醫療和財務記錄以及密碼。公司還從數以百萬計的未加密無線網絡上搜集數據。
世界範圍的騷動隨之而起，至少十二個國家進行了調查。澳大利亞的調查人員斯蒂芬·康羅伊(Stephen Conroy)稱這“可能是隱私史上最大的違規事件”。谷歌最初否認從不知情的個人那裡收集了任何數據，然後又試圖淡化所得數據的性質，並同希望檢查數據 的監管人員對抗。谷歌稱，數據已經被銷毀了，但事實證明，部分數據並沒有被毀。一些數據遭到了清除，但谷歌一直持有餘下的數據，直到幾起私人訴訟案件得到 解決為止。
谷歌公司將這一行動推到了一名行為惡劣的工程師身上，但聯邦通信委員會（Federal Communications Commission，簡稱FCC）表示，這名工程師是和其他人一起工作的，而且曾嘗試向上級彙報自己的所作所為。該機構表示，與其說這名工程師行為惡 劣，還不如說他沒有受到監管。去年春天，谷歌因妨礙FCC的調查而被罰款25000美元。
過去幾年，谷歌多次說自己正在加強隱私監管，增加監督和控制層級。然而，對涉案各州來說，這些保障措施還不夠。
“我們顯然認為，他們能做更多，”康涅狄格州助理檢察長菲茨西蒙斯說。由各州檢察長組成的執行委員會將監督谷歌對協議的執行情況。700萬美元的罰款對谷歌來說不過是零花錢，因為谷歌每天的凈收入就有3200萬美元左右。
“在這些案件中，重要的不是錢，而是公開的指責，”曾在FTC下屬的消費者保護局(Bureau of Consumer Protection)擔任負責人的喬治城大學(Georgetown University)法學教授戴維·弗拉傑克(David Vladeck)說，“而且我認為，人們對谷歌的不滿是有理由的，谷歌首先就不該收集信息，隨後的解釋又很蹩腳。”
Google Admits Drive-By Data Collection Was Privacy Breach
SAN FRANCISCO — Google on Tuesday acknowledged to state officials that it had violated people’s privacy during its Street View mapping project when it casually scooped up passwords, e-mail and other personal information from unsuspecting computer users.
In agreeing to settle a case brought by 38 states involving the project, the search company for the first time is required to aggressively police its own employees on privacy issues and to explicitly tell the public how to fend off privacy violations like this one.
While the settlement also included a tiny — for Google — fine of $7 million, privacy advocates and Google critics characterized the overall agreement as a breakthrough for a company they say has become a serial violator of privacy.
Complaints have led to multiple enforcement actions in recent years and a spate of worldwide investigations into the way the mapping project also collected the personal data of private computer users.
“Google puts innovation ahead of everything and resists asking permission,” said Scott Cleland, a consultant for Google’s competitors and a consumer watchdog whose blog maintains a close watch on Google’s privacy issues. “But the states are throwing down a marker that they are watching and there is a line the company shouldn’t cross.”
The agreement paves the way for a major privacy battle over Google Glass, the heavily promoted wearable computer in the form of glasses, Mr. Cleland said. “If you use Google Glass to record a couple whispering to each other in Starbucks, have you violated their privacy?” he asked. “Well, 38 states just said they have a problem with the unauthorized collection of people’s data.”
George Jepsen, the Connecticut attorney general who led the states’ investigation, said that he was hopeful the settlement would produce a new Google.
“This is the industry giant,” he said. “It is committing to change its corporate culture to encourage sensitivity to issues of personal data privacy.”
The applause was not universal, however. Consumer Watchdog, another privacy monitor and frequent Google critic, said that “asking Google to educate consumers about privacy is like asking the fox to teach the chickens how to ensure the security of their coop.”
Niki Fenwick, a Google spokeswoman, said on Tuesday that “we work hard to get privacy right at Google, but in this case we didn’t, which is why we quickly tightened up our systems to address the issue.”
Last summer, the Federal Trade Commission fined Google $22.5 million for bypassing privacy settings in the Safari browser, the largest civil penalty ever levied by the F.T.C. In 2011, Google agreed to be audited for 20 years by the F.T.C. after it admitted to using deceptive tactics when starting its Buzz social network. That agreement included several rather vague privacy provisions.
The new settlement, which requires Google to set up a privacy program within six months, is more specific. Among its requirements, Google must hold an annual privacy week event for employees. It also must make privacy certification programs available to select employees, provide refresher training for its lawyers overseeing new products and train its employees who deal with privacy matters.
Several provisions involve outreach. Google must create a video for YouTube explaining how people can easily encrypt their data on their wireless networks and run a daily online ad promoting it for two years.
“There are minimum benchmarks Google has to meet,” said Matthew Fitzsimmons, an assistant Connecticut attorney general who negotiated with the company. “This will impact how Google rolls out products and services in the future.”
Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center said the agreement was “a significant privacy decision by the state attorneys general,” adding that “it shows the ongoing importance of the states’ A.G.’s in protecting the privacy rights of Internet users.”
The Street View case arose out of Google’s deployment of special vehicles to photograph the houses and offices lining the world’s avenues and boulevards and lanes. For several years, the company also secretly collected personal information — e-mail, medical and financial records, passwords — as it cruised by. It was data-scooping from millions of unencrypted wireless networks.
A worldwide uproar and investigations in at least a dozen countries ensued. An Australian regulator, Stephen Conroy, called it “probably the single greatest breach in the history of privacy.” Google initially denied any data had been collected from unknowing individuals, then sought to play down what data had been collected and fought with regulators who wanted to examine it. Google said the data had been destroyed, although it turned out some had not been. Some data was purged, but Google is holding the rest until several private lawsuits are resolved.
The company blamed a rogue engineer for the operation. But the Federal Communications Commission said the engineer had worked with others and had tried to tell his superiors what he was doing. He was less a rogue than simply unsupervised, the agency said. The F.C.C. last spring fined Google $25,000 for obstructing its investigation.
In the last several years, Google has repeatedly said it was strengthening its privacy monitoring, adding layers of oversight and controls. For the states, however, those assurances were not quite enough.
“We obviously thought there was more they could do,” said Mr. Fitzsimmons, the assistant Connecticut attorney general. An executive committee of attorneys general will monitor Google for compliance. The $7 million fine is pocket change for Google, which has a net income of about $32 million a day.
“It is the public opprobrium, not the money, that counts in these cases,” said David Vladeck, a professor of law at Georgetown University who formerly directed the F.T.C.’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “And I think people were rightly unhappy with Google’s collecting the information in the first place and then Google’s lame explanation.”
| Google to preempt Apple's iCloud with new music service on Tuesday Apple Insider By Josh Ong A new report claims Google will show off a new music service resembling Amazon's Cloud Drive on Tuesday at the company's I/O conference. Peter Kafka of MediaMemo reported on Monday that Google Music will be unveiled on Tuesday without the ... See all stories on this topic » |
| Google Partners With Sony Pictures, Universal And Warner Brothers For YouTube ... TechCrunch Google confirmed the existence of its YouTube Movies service earlier today and has just released more details on which studios and movies will provide the 3000 titles in its repertoire. YouTube has partnered up with Universal, Sony Pictures and Warner ... See all stories on this topic » |
| Google I/O Mega-Conference Starts Tuesday: No Ticket? No Problem PCWorld By Lisa Greim, PCWorld May 9, 2011 8:00 PM Google I/O, the big developers' conference sold out in record time. You're missed out on tickets, but so what? Stop kicking yourself, ignore the hype, and attend virtually. Here's all you need to know. ... See all stories on this topic » |
| Google Android Shortcomings: 10 Essential Fixes to Best the iPhone eWeek Find out what Google and Android smartphone makers need to do to have a chance to overcome iPhone's technical and market advantages. Apple's iPhone has been an unbridled success since its launch in 2007. Apple announced earlier this year that it has ... See all stories on this topic » |
| Biz Break: Silicon Valley power brands: Apple, Google, Facebook San Jose Mercury News 2, though, Google surpassed such well-known corporate names as IBM, McDonald's, Microsoft, Coca-Cola and AT&T. Google was No. 1 in brand value for the previous four years. billion and placing at No. 35 on Millward Brown's list. "With almost 600 million ... See all stories on this topic » |
| Apple, Google Set to Appear at Congressional Hearing on Mobile Privacy eWeek Apple and Google are on the witness list for the first Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law's first hearing, which will take place May 10 at 10 am ET. Apple and Google officials will be part of the first congressional hearing to ... See all stories on this topic » |
| Little Miss Sunshine and other Hargreaves characters featured in Google Doodle Washington Post (blog) By Elizabeth Flock Little Miss Sunshine (Screengrab from Google Doodle) Little Miss Sunshine. Little Miss Naughty. Mr. Tickle. Mr. Messy. The animated characters created by British children's author Roger Hargreaves have captured the imagination of ... See all stories on this topic » |
| Google may have missed mark with search page experiment Computerworld By Sharon Gaudin Computerworld - Google is experimenting with a new look for its search results page, and so far users don't seem impressed. For the past few days, people have been taking to Twitter to largely complain about the new look that Google ... See all stories on this topic » |
| Skype Rumored In Talks With Facebook, Google, Microsoft InformationWeek By David F. Carr InformationWeek Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are all rumored to be in negotiations with Skype for either a partnership or an outright acquisition. Reuters reported last week that Facebook and Google were in talks with Skype. ... See all stories on this topic » |
| Whitehats break out of Google Chrome sandbox Register Researchers say they've developed attack code that pierces key defenses built into Google's Chrome browser, allowing them to reliably execute malware on end user machines. The attack contains two separate exploits so it can bypass the security counter ... See all stories on this topic » |
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