[LINK] Google Gets Even Nastier

[Roger Clarke]

The threat that Google represents to freedoms and privacy just went 
up another big notch.

The company has been granted a Patent for some bleeding obvious ideas.

That's a problem already, because the US grants massive powers to the 
owners of patent and copyright laws, which enables those companies to 
hamper other companies' innovations.

It's a much bigger problem in this case, because:
-   Google is seeking to become the dominant manager of identities
-   under its scheme, all personae are linked to what the company
     calls "the user's real identity"
-   the language of the patent debases the notion of an anonym,
     in that Google would know the 'real identity' behind it
-   that centralisation of data would provide massive power over
     individuals, to the company, to its strategic partners, and
     to the US Government - which would inevitably be a major user
     of the scheme - and to whichever governments the US regards as
     its allies at any given time
-   Google will be able to use the patent to interfere with the
     efforts of organisations that want to offer alternative identity
     management schemes that are more freedom-friendly


US Patent 8,271,894 of September 18, 2012
Priority Date September 27, 2011
Social computing personas for protecting identity in online social interactions
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=8,271,894.PN.&OS=PN/8,271,894&RS=PN/8,271,894


[Drawn to attention on Lauren Weinstein's list]

-- 
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 Faculty of Law               University of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University