Google’s trickery of tracking users of Apple’s (AAPL) Macs, iPhones and iPads without their knowledge or permission recently raised a firestorm whenJonathan Mayer of Stanford University found that Google intentionally circumvented Safari’s privacy feature.
Caught red-handed, Google offered a convoluted explanation. Mayer attempts to set the record straight here.
As though violating privacy of Apple users was not enough for Google, now Microsoft (MSFT) accuses Google of bypassing privacy settings of Internet Explorer users. Dean Hachamovitch, corporate vice president of Microsoft describes Google’s conduct in detail here, noting, “Google is employing similar methods to get around the default privacy protections in IE and track IE users with cookies.”
President Obama has stepped in to slay Google’s privacy violations, introducing on Thursday aConsumer Privacy Bill of Rights. “It is incumbent on us to do what we have done throughout history: apply our timeless privacy values to the new technologies and circumstances of our times,” wrote Obama in prepared remarks introducing the bill. “These rights give consumers clear guidance on what they should expect from those who handle their personal information, and set expectations for companies that use personal data.
“I call on these companies to begin immediately working with privacy advocates, consumer protection enforcement agencies, and others to implement these principles in enforceable codes of conduct.”
The Bill of Rights includes the following rights:
−Individual Control: Consumers have a right to exercise control over what personal data companies collect from them and how they use it.
−Transparency: Consumers have a right to easily…Read more at Forbes
