[LINK] Google Gets Even Nastier

[Nick Ross]

Honestly, if those are patentable, I'd rather Google held them than anyone
else. Google wouldn't be able to sue anyone for breaking them (probably)
because they'd get panned too.

/fanboy

On 19 September 2012 09:24, Roger Clarke <Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au> wrote:

> 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
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