[LINK] EPIC: "Buzz violated Google's own privacy policy for Gmail"

[Roger Clarke]

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                             E P I C   A l e r t
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Volume 17.05                                            March 11, 2010
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[4] EPIC Files Amended Complaint on Google Buzz
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EPIC has filed a supplement to its earlier complaint with the Federal
Trade Commission, urging the FTC to investigate Google Buzz. EPIC's
original complaint cited clear harms to service subscribers, and
alleged that the change in business practices "violated user
expectations, diminished user privacy, contradicted Google's privacy
policy, and may have violated federal wiretap laws."

The FTC sent a letter to EPIC regarding the February 2010 EPIC
complaint. In the letter, the Bureau of Consumer Protection Director
states that the complaint "raises interesting issues that relate to
consumer expectations about the collection and use of their data."
Further, the FTC Director highlighted the importance of having
consumers "understand how their data will be used" and allowing
consumers the "opportunity to exercise meaningful control over such
uses."

EPIC's amended complaint, which was filed a few days after receiving
the FTC's letter, describes how Google Buzz violated Google's own
privacy policy for Gmail. EPIC states, "In whole and in part, the Gmail
Privacy Notice describes the collection and use of personal data for
the purpose of providing the Gmail email service." Creating Google
Buzz, a social networking tool, within this email service constitutes a
"clear contradiction between the Gmail policy in place at the time Buzz
was released and the use of Gmail account information by Google for the
Buzz service..."

EPIC urged the FTC to investigate Google's practices, compel Google to
make Google Buzz an opt-in service, and compel Google to cease using
Gmail users' private address book contacts to compile their Buzz social
networking lists.

EPIC's Amended Complaint in In re Google Buzz
 
<http://www.epic.org/redirect/031110googlebuzzcomp.html>http://www.epic.org/redirect/031110googlebuzzcomp.html

EPIC's original complaint in In re Google Buzz
 
<http://epic.org/privacy/ftc/googlebuzz/GoogleBuzz_Complaint.pdf>http://epic.org/privacy/ftc/googlebuzz/GoogleBuzz_Complaint.pdf

Letter from FTC to EPIC regarding Google Buzz complaint
 
<http://www.epic.org/redirect/031110ftcletter.html>http://www.epic.org/redirect/031110ftcletter.html

EPIC: In re Google Buzz
 
<http://epic.org/privacy/ftc/googlebuzz>http://epic.org/privacy/ftc/googlebuzz

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-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

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