[LINK] www.google.com/governmentrequests

[Roger Clarke]

At 11:24 +0000 21/4/10, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
>Google exposes government takedown and data requests
>by ASHER MOSES  April 21, 2010 - 12:13PM
><http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/google-exposes-
>government-takedown-and-data-requests-20100421-stas.html>

That announcement had some success in squeezing down the amount of 
coverage of the *real* news of the day.

Roughly, the news was that:
-   the Canadian Privacy Commissioner has led a posse of 10 privacy
     oversight agencies in an attack on Google's breaches of the laws
     of various countries
-   the Australian Privacy Commissioner declined to join the posse,
     on the grounds that her job is to protect organisations from the
     ravages of privacy laws

Worldwide, the media doesn't seem to have bought the company's 
diversionary tactic.  Google News seems to find about 1,000 items on 
the privacy story, compared with about 200 on the disclosure story.


At the end of Asher's article was this:

>The launch of the Government Requests tool came on the same day that
>officials from 10 nations sent a letter to Google's chief executive
>demanding that the California firm better defend people's privacy.
>
>Canada's privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said a collaboration of
>countries representing a total of 375 million people were "speaking with
>a common voice" to remind internet firms to obey each nation's privacy
>laws.
>
>The letter was also signed by data protection officials from Britain,
>France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and
>Spain.
>
>"We are increasingly concerned that, too often, the privacy rights of the
>world's citizens are being forgotten as Google rolls out new
>technological applications," the letter stated.
>
>The letter urges Google to set a worthy privacy example for other online
>firms.
>
>- with AFP  Source: smh.com.au


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

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Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University