Privacy Group Wants FTC To Shut Down Gmail... Again
from the give-it-up dept
I think privacy is a very important issue that often is given short-shrift... but I've never been able to understand some of the positions staked out by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), who seems to have decided long ago that, even if people are making a conscious choice, anything that puts their privacy at risk is downright evil and must be stopped. When Google first launched Gmail back in 2004, EPIC went ballistic saying that it needed to be shut down as a privacy violation. Most people responded by getting Gmail accounts as quickly as they could.
Apparently, EPIC isn't giving up this fight, even though five years have gone by and Gmail has become a popular email service for many, many people online. EPIC has now asked the FTC to shut down all Google online applications, from Google Docs to Gmail, claiming that they're unable to "adequately safeguard the confidential info" of users -- and comparing those apps to a faulty car seat for kids (hyperbole, much?).
This all seems designed to get EPIC attention rather than to actually help consumers. The likelihood of the FTC agreeing with EPIC seems slim (which even EPIC seems to admit). People are pretty aware of what risks they're taking on by putting stuff on Google's servers, and Google has a pretty clear track record of doing its best to keep that info private. But most people feel that the risk is slight and the trade-off and value from the services is obviously worth it. Thus, it's not actually a privacy issue at all -- because most people are comfortable with the situation. So, why is EPIC trying to take away such useful services from millions of people who have come to rely on them?
Apparently, EPIC isn't giving up this fight, even though five years have gone by and Gmail has become a popular email service for many, many people online. EPIC has now asked the FTC to shut down all Google online applications, from Google Docs to Gmail, claiming that they're unable to "adequately safeguard the confidential info" of users -- and comparing those apps to a faulty car seat for kids (hyperbole, much?).
This all seems designed to get EPIC attention rather than to actually help consumers. The likelihood of the FTC agreeing with EPIC seems slim (which even EPIC seems to admit). People are pretty aware of what risks they're taking on by putting stuff on Google's servers, and Google has a pretty clear track record of doing its best to keep that info private. But most people feel that the risk is slight and the trade-off and value from the services is obviously worth it. Thus, it's not actually a privacy issue at all -- because most people are comfortable with the situation. So, why is EPIC trying to take away such useful services from millions of people who have come to rely on them?
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Attention whores
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Another PETA?
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"As an additional punishment, EPIC wants Google to be forced to pay $5 million into a "public fund" that it and like-minded advocacy groups could financially benefit from."
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Re:
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Track Record
Many other companies have an equivalent track record, but aren't necessarily worthy of the same level of trust. They're just haven't been unlucky enough to have a known data breach yet.
The difference for Google (and other internet businesses) as opposed to banks or retailers is that they are in the business of managing online data, and have been from the beginning. This isn't some afterthought that they've asked their existing internal staff or some brand new fresh-from-college team to build on to an existing system. It's at the core of their business in a way that brick and mortar outfits have not yet been able to match.
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Google shills
Google officer on EPIC BOD...
EPIC boosting Gmail visibility as best they can...
Coincidence? I think not.
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EPIC
We have become a bunch of whinny bit#$s......
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Privicy or security?
When I started using G-Mail and G-Documents I knew the risks and I knew what EPIC was saying about them and still chose to use it. Why is that so wrong?
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My step.
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Re: Another PETA?
"QUIT TRYING TO STOP US FROM MAKING DECISIONS FOR EVERYONE ELSE!" *toss fake blood*
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I wonder
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Ray Ozzie - Groove Man
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I signed up for Gmail BECAUSE they scan my emails, and because they show me advertisements that relate to my interests.
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Re: email privacy
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Data Pollution
Check it out here: BBC NEWS
( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7897892.stm )
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What the hell
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Stop wasting the governments time and money EPIC, they can do that on their own.
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Re: Google shills
And, of course, since Google isn't making a dime from Gmail, why would they be shilling it in the first place?
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Privacy
I killed my father
married my mother
got mommy pregnant
locked up my sister/daughter in the basement
got her pregnant
never let my daughter/granddaughter/niece out of the basement
and so on and so forth
You read it didn't you ... I HATE you!!
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I've had a gmail account since January 2004
But I don't *depend* on gmail (or any other Google service). I download and archive everything myself on a regular basis, and I don't use gmail (or any other Google service) for anything with financial importance to myself (like account passwords). I will always archive my own email, and I will always use addresses with domains that I control for important email.
I like Google documents, too, but I don't ever entrust the only copy of anything important to them.
That said, I would echo the sentiments of some of the prior commentors, namely, who the hell put EPIC in charge of anything?
--
http://www.chl-tx.com Thanks to the Empty Suit from Chicago with the Blank Resume, my business is booming!
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The Real Poop
On second thought, just email me your credit card numbers and i'll keep 'em safe for you. No, really, I will....
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Anyone have EPIC's email?
I have two email accounts, Yahoo and Gmail. I use Yahoo for job searching and dealing with the internet at large (for instance, I use my Yahoo account here). I use Gmail for talking with my family and friends. If Gmail goes down, I'd lose all my conversations with them! The very idea makes me all cold inside.
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Re: Re: Another PETA?
Group then complaints that court issued warrants are in violation of their privacy. (Runs off to update facebook and myspace profiles so every one will know.)
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Re: Re: email privacy
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Re: Anyone have EPIC's email?
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I have an account on Mail.com that I use when I don't want to give out my normal email address. When I created it, I used all fake information. The only information they could possibly know about me is what IP address I connect from and whatever I write in an email. The second part can be easily avoided by using an encryption program to encrypt your message before sending it to the web site.
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Re: FTC/EPIC/Privacy
vint
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gmail
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Re: Re: Google shills
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