11/4/2010 4:45:03 PM
IT Security news: Google's $8.5 million payout to Buzz
Google has recently forked out $8.5mio in a class-action lawsuit
over it's Buzz networking service.
The class-action was bought against Google due to a breach of
privacy law when Google automatically signed up it's Gmail users to
the service.
The class-action represented some 31 million users, and while
Google claimed the aim was not to generate revenue, the action has
forced Google to change it's practices and handling of user
data.
Google is currently fighting a number of legal challenges
predominately relating to it's collection and handling of user
data. In Europe governments have been especially critical of
Goggle's data handling, particularly with Street View.
To give you a personal example of this… a good friend, whilst
visiting family noticed Goggle's Street View camera rolling by and
he assembled his whole family outside. When the images were
published on Google's StreetView platform online they had neglected
to smudge out everyone's faces. When he wrote to Google to request
that this was actioned, he started receiving invites to a variety
of Google's services - another complaint is currently a work in
progress!
Damian Hicklin
IT
Security & Communications Manager
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ARM