[LINK] Ars: US Congressmen ABuzz

[Roger Clarke]

Lawmakers want Google to Buzz off over privacy concerns
By Ryan Paul
Arstechnica
30 March 2010
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/03/lawmakers-want-google-to-buzz-off-over-privacy-concerns.ars

Google's Buzz social networking service, which launched as part of 
Gmail in February, was met with considerable controversy. The service 
automatically transformed users' e-mail address books into public 
Buzz contact lists, creating the potential for sensitive information 
to be exposed without user consent.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Electronic 
Frontier Foundation (EFF) condemned Google's mismanagement of the 
service's rollout and lack of privacy safeguards. EPIC filed a 
complaint with the FTC, calling for the organization to review the 
matter. A bipartisan group of congressmen are the latest to join the 
chorus. In an open letter addressed to FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz, 
eleven members of the US House of Representatives called for an 
investigation of Buzz and closer scrutiny of Google's pending 
acquisition of mobile advertising company AdMob.

"We are writing to express our concern over claims that Google's 
'Google Buzz' social networking tool breaches online consumer privacy 
and trust. Due to the high number of individuals whose online privacy 
is affected by tools like this-either directly or indirectly-we feel 
that these claims warrant the Commission's review of Google's public 
disclosure of personal information of consumers through Google Buzz," 
the letter says. "We hope to be of assistance to you in finding 
constructive solutions to fill in the gaps that leave our online 
privacy vulnerable to unsolicited intrusion."

The letter specifically highlights the contact list disclosure issue, 
but also raises questions about the implications of Google's 
advertising practices. The letter asks the FTC to determine if 
Google's acquisition of AdMob-and the resulting reduction in mobile 
advertising competition-will reduce incentives for the company to 
protect consumer privacy.

Google took swift action to correct Buzz's privacy problems shortly 
after the controversy erupted. The automatic contact-following 
behavior was replaced with a system that recommends people to follow. 
The service's underlying functionality was also made more transparent 
and the mechanisms for disabling the service were improved.

Although these changes have been broadly lauded as a step in the 
right direction, critics believe that Google needs to go further and 
make the service itself an opt-in offering. The forceful rollout of 
the service, and Google's move to inject it into Gmail as an 
unsolicited addition, are cited by EPIC and other privacy advocates 
as a serious breach of user trust.

This view is shared by outgoing FTC Commissioner Pamela Jones 
Harbour, who criticized Google in a recent panel about Internet 
privacy. In Harbour's opinion, Google's "irresponsible" launch of 
Buzz is representative of the broader privacy and security issues 
that society faces with the emergence of cloud computing. She fears 
that questionable privacy practices will escalate if steps aren't 
taken now on behalf of consumers. "Consumer privacy cannot be run in 
beta," she reportedly said.

As Google expands its reach into more corners of daily life, the 
company will face more stringent scrutiny. The Buzz privacy blunder, 
and the concerns that it has raised, have clearly penetrated the 
awareness of lawmakers and the policy community.

Further reading

*   BusinessWeek (businessweek.com)
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-26/ftc-should-probe-google-buzz-over-privacy-lapses-lawmakers-say.html

*   Letter to the FTC (barrow.house.gov)
http://barrow.house.gov/images/stories/Google_Buzz_Letter.pdf


-- 
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