Google and Privacy
February 3, 2009
Google has become a magnet for hassles. I don’t know if this story “Privacy Professional Facing Criminal Charges” here is taken from Moses’ tablets. But the fact that it is running points out how the once infallible Googzilla has become the a whipping boy. For me the most interesting comment in this write up was:
But the Internet is a different medium, says Google. “We cannot agree with the concept that a tool can be blamed for the use that is made of it,” a company spokesperson said.
I am not going to disagree with the Googzilla, but it seems that the malware fiasco, the propensity to blame another outfit and then fess up, and now the escalating problem in Italy signals a change.
About a year or so ago, Google’s attorneys informed me via my client that my reports about its Semantic Web activities were deep dark secrets caught me by surprise. I thought Google’s attorneys read their patent documents. My client faxed the cover pages of the sources of my information, and the USPTO patent application number was a revelation. Now one of Google’s legal eagles won’t be buying limoncello from the source for a while. Google has kept Ramanathan Guha out of the spotlight. Now the company is allowing Alon Halevy to chat up the Google’s semantic interests. Alon Halevy’s talk last week received little notice.
Google’s legal troubles in Italy did. In my opinion, it is interesting to see what constitutes news. For another “issue”, check out Google’s response to an allegation that its services assist bad guys here.
Stephen Arnold, February 3, 2009
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