World realizes Google home page is 'illegal' Five years later, an army of privacy-minded watchdogs has suddenly realized the Google home page is illegal. Today, a coalition of privacy advocates - including the World Privacy Forum, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and the ACLU of Northern California - fired an open letter to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, pointing out …
I don't get it - is there some connection here? I didn't realise Google even recognised the concept of an individuals privacy - and in this day and age of (paranoia about, but also the reality of) identity theft and so on it's quite understandable why they wouldn't go out of their way to put a blatant link which would draw everyones attention to something which, in essence, they do not have. They certainly seem to have done splendid job posting comments on here though, ahem. Clean page, ruined by one extra link... - C'mon, cow stupid does that sound, when you actually think about it...(?).
And it's not simply about 'them' 'having' 'your' IP - don't be so bloody simple some of you.
Do People still use the main google page, then WTH is the search bar on your browser for. Even If you use Firefox, You get the google page for Firefox by default.
I cant remember the last time I saw the main page with those nice graphics that celebrate x where x = some sort of celebration or holiday. so, I dont get this at all !!
The iGoogle privacy policy link isn't what you think it is. (To paraphrase the Princess Bride.)
The URL at the bottom of the iGoogle page links to the iGoogle Privacy Note (http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/help/privacy_fusionph.html), which is not the privacy policy. This page has a link to the privacy page (http://www.google.co.uk/privacy.html) which, again, isn't the privacy policy. The privacy page has a link to http://www.google.co.uk/privacypolicy.html, which is the privacy policy.
Not so smug now, eh?
Not that it matters. As someone pointed out, the internet was not created to be a bastion of liberty, it was created via the USA's military. I'm sure Sir Tim (co-)created the web to be a wonderful place for science and research, unfortunately the public and commerce got their grubby paws on it. When stupidity and greed collide, there's not much room for common sense.
And to those of you who have said "Oh! Well if privacy was so important to people they should know to read privacy policies." I say tosh! If people don't know that their privacy can be impinged by using Google, and the ramifications of this, they need to be educated. It's not necessarily their fault that they think they can trust Google.
I may have missed some stuff here because for the first time ever I scrolled from the Reggie apology to here... but why the apology for the IP logging reference?
Even if they do store the IP's of everyone who just visits for a year (probably unlikely, not really commercially fruitful), there is a difference between visiting the google website, and trying to explain that the reason you searched for Peroxide, Heaven and Decadence was because you're a homosexual, not a virgin-seeking bomber. After all, Inspector Knacker of the Yard would never try someone on a trumped up charge just for FUD would they... or shoot them...
It is exactly the responses of ignoramus like those above that shows why people SHOULD read the privacy policies and not think they know everything without doing it! Information stored is retrievable by those who would hurt you.
I use Google, but I know the terms I do it under... do you?
Penguin coz he's coot, and I don't want to seem like a bitch. ;)
Google is now up to 14 links on it's home page. One more isn't going to make a difference. They are just playing tough guy refusing to put on a privacy link.
Or are they trying to hide something? I think I'll go read their privacy statement and see what's hidden in there. Or maybe they are just planning on sneaking something in later?
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