Big shadowy orgs should stop scooping up everyone's personal info – say Google, Facebook A pressure group backed by some of the largest internet companies has urged the US Senate to pass the USA FREEDOM Act, which would curb some forms of online spying by the government. Reform Government Surveillance (RGS) voiced its support for the proposed law in an open letter published to it Tumblr site on Sunday, which was …
The simple truth is that the world's governments are cutting in to Google and Facebook's business and are drawing a spotlight on the amount of surveillance that occurs not only by the government but by these companies as well.
Google: 'We do this so that we can make sure that we show you ads for the brands you're most likely to buy and not waste your time seeing ads that aren't right for you'.
Yeah, like I care.
But the truth is that Google knows so much about you, more so that the US Government and they make money off of it. Google at one time wanted to get rid of cookies. Why? Because they no longer needed them. Do you realize how many websites feed information in to Google? Even El Reg has Google Analytics, Google tag services js on their page.
Facebook? Single sign-on? So you don't have to remember all those passwords? The truth is that they now know more information about you and they don't forget it. Even if you don't have a FB account.
But on the other hand, the US Government has to obey the law on what they can use and how they can use it. Prism? What's funny is that more people are against Prism without knowing exactly what it captured and how they used the data. Or rather what they had to go through to use the data. It wasn't what the government was doing, but the fear of what they could do if only the law let them.
And that's the ugly truth.
Imagine it this way... you're walking down the street late at night. You see a big guy standing there looking like he's up to no good. Yet you ignore the skinny guy who 'accidentally' bumped in to you and stole your wallet.
Google Analytics and Tag Services: The Request Policy and NoScript plugins block these for me and the blocking has no effect on my 'enjoyment' of the various websites I visit. I've always wondered what they do.
El Reg is quite sparse when it comes to pulling in extenal websites and javascript compared to some mainstream websites thay I visit. I've seen up to fifteen extenal websites being blocked by Request Policy, with associated javascript, and then the external sources try to pull in other sources and javascript, if you allow them. All I want to do is read the text and see the pictures of news articles. It's a jungle out there.
>Uhm, emigrate to the LEAST fascist 1st or 2nd world country?
Greece, but the economy is shot to bits.
Ukrania , sorry but that will soon be shot to bits. ( thanks to Mr P..)
Spain, nope historically it wouldn't quite fit and nowadays you have to be Catalonian in order to get a vote.
Germany, nope have to work at two jobs just to pay your rent. They can pretend that all is Ok but we knwo better.
The UK, you must be joking right....the 53rd state....
France : apparently Serge Dassault has been handing out large sums of cash for votes, sounds promising, if you use your vote correctly.
You know what, remain where you are, it's just as bad everywhere else.
@DAN 55
Switzerland : Your privacy has been Pwned, it's expensive whilst no longer capable of garaunteeing it's own continuity....... They want the benefits of Europe without being part of Europe and have no longer anything to offer in return.
Unfortunately we have reached peak Switzerland : If I have understood things lately the new havens are either Singapore, Hong Kong or even the Isle of Man. ( I could imagine living in either of the first 2 but definately not the latter.)
"We urge you to pass the bill, which both protects national security and reaffirms America's commitment to the freedoms we all cherish,"
Translation - "We've identified what you're doing as a revenue stream with massive potential - we can do it more surreptitiously, please hand it over to us so we can bill you for it."
</sarcasm>
There is merit and some possibility to your sarcasm. The merit is that on the companies side it's at least honest. The possibility is that the stories written by the old Sci-Fi authors where government is by Mega-Corps has finally come to pass. Given that much of what government currently does is outsourced, this isn't as farfetched as one might think.
Every time a bill has been submitted by Sen. Leahy which supposedly does something positive for We The Steeple, err People, it has been a preemptive strike. That bill won't make it through the committees let alone reach the floor. It'll get quietly get put out of its misery with a sad Sen. Leahy saying that there was no consensus. I've seen this dance too many f---ing times already.
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"Do you realize how many websites feed information in to Google? Even El Reg has Google Analytics, Google tag services js on their page."
... and herein lies the real reason behind all this - if the government had access to information on everyone to the same extent Google does, it would pretty much neutralise one of Google's most potent weapons against anything that threatens them, namely the ability to control the visibility of information.
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