Blog Post
Google’s recent release of a white paper on its security policies and technologies for Google Apps is notable for its effort to assure users and potential customers that the information stored by Google is safe. And perceptions about the Internet giant’s security are key to its future.
Press Release
Consumer Watchdog today formally launched its new Website, Inside Google, to focus attention on the company’s activities and hold Google accountable for its actions. The sites’ URL is http://insidegoogle.com.
Blog Post
In a serendipitous synchronicity, the Google Search Appliance (GSA) has debuted as the new search engine on the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) web site.
Recently a box popped up on an obscure GSA web page titled “Transparency” which reveals that Google has taken over the search spot at the agency.
Blog Post
Google’s April Fool joke this year – renaming its search site “Topeka” – was a self-congratulatory disappointment compared with some of the funny self-parodies of previous years, for instance, here or here. The mayor of…
Blog Post
Online privacy protection for consumers has been built around the idea of "notice and choice" but it was clear to me at Thursday’s Federal Trade Commission…
News Clipping
A Silicon Valley Internet security firm on Thursday described for the first time how hackers from China were able to crack Google’s defenses, saying the attackers took advantage of a flaw in Microsoft’s Web browser to probe deeply into the company’s network. In addition to the Google network, the high-profile intrusion also
targeted Gmail accounts in the United States and other countries. This
may prompt users to demand better security for electronic mail and
other personal data that’s stored on Internet clouds, some advocates
say. "The problem up until now is that people like Google have
emphasized speed and efficiency and ease of use," said John M. Simpson,
an advocate with Consumer Watchdog. "In too many cases, they have let
security and privacy become a secondary issue. This situation is a
wake-up call for everybody."
News Clipping
Few doubt that Internet giant Google is succeeding in its audacious
corporate mission "to organize the world’s information and make it
universally accessible and useful." The problem is that the mission
puts Google directly at odds with our privacy rights, and Google
appears unwilling to give consumers enough control.
News Clipping
Google won the battle with Microsoft for the right to move Los Angeles’ 30,000 municipal employees to its e-mail system, knocking out Novell’s GroupWise platform for the $7.25 million contract. However, the contract comes with a caveat. Google must compensate the
city if its e-mail service is breached and data is stolen. The Los
Angeles Council voted to add the penalty provision 9-3. Consumer
advocates applauded this motion. "Los Angeles residents cannot be sure the city’s confidential or
sensitive data will be secure," said John M. Simpson, consumer advocate
with Consumer Watchdog, "but at least they know there will be a penalty
if security is compromised. It’s essential that this project be closely
watched to ensure that Google keeps its promises."
Press Release
Project Demands Close Monitoring To Guarantee Citizen’s Privacy Consumer Watchdog Says
Los Angeles, CA — The Los Angeles City Council voted today to move the
city’s 30,000 email users to a system provided by Google, but only
after a provision that the city be compensated if there is security
breach in the data held on Google’s servers.
News Clipping
Questions about cost, security and reliability remain, but the council is expected to decide Tuesday.
After concerns were raised about how Google would secure sensitive data
from law enforcement agencies, the company announced plans to finish
work on a "government cloud," a separate set of servers with enhanced
security, sometime next year. But completion of the government cloud is not a guarantee, said John
Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, a nonpartisan consumer advocacy group
that has been critical of the Google contract. "If you build it and vet it and test it, great, but don’t commit to going onto it until it actually exists," he said.
