tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371039259670265752024-03-28T00:53:23.229+01:00Google Europe BlogOur views on the Internet and societyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-33938862789903720692015-02-13T17:55:00.003+01:002020-07-30T20:20:01.834+02:00Privacy, security, surveillance: getting it right is important<span class="post-author"><i><b>Whilst visiting Bavaria for the <a href="https://www.securityconference.de/">Munich Security Conference</a>, Rachel Whetstone, Senior Vice President Communications and Public Policy at Google, gave a speech at the <a href="http://www.csu-landtag.de/index.php?ka=1&ska=1&idn=591#.VN4jo7DF-Fl">Bavarian Parliament</a> about Google's views on surveillance, security and privacy. The following is the full text of her speech.</b></i></span><br />
<br />
Thank you for inviting me here today. It’s a great honor to be with you this afternoon: in a state with such a long history of invention--numerous Mittelstand champions as well as Siemens, Audi, BMW, Adidas; and in a city that has been such a wonderful partner to Google. <br />
<br />
Just down the road, we signed our first major books digitization project with the Bavarian State Library. <a href="https://www.google.be/maps/@47.555483,10.023597,3a,75y,101.48h,87.88t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sBpQtut6p3M1u6N1Ta6CvfQ!2e0!6m1!1e1?hl=en">Oberstaufen</a> was our first Street View launch in Germany. Minister-President Seehofer was the first German politician to do a live <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQot5SJetdg">interview on YouTube</a>. Even the model locomotive in your Stone Hall represents a shared love of technology and excitement about the future.<br />
<br />
Happily, it’s a future with more investment in Munich. Our new engineering center here will be home to several hundred employees--in addition to the three hundred who already live here. It happens to be located, appropriately enough, next to the Hacker Bridge--though, we don’t plan to hire any additional security. And we're working with local chambers of commerce across Bavaria to help promote German exports online. <br />
<br />
Now I must admit to being a little bit nervous. US tech companies are front and center of the European political debate today: not always for the right reasons. And frankly some of the criticism is fair. As an industry we have sometimes been a little too high on our own success.<br />
<br />
With that as my starting point, I wanted to talk about three important issues facing us all today:<br />
<ul>
<li>First, government surveillance and the role technology companies have in the fight against crime and terrorism;</li>
<li>Second, the growing need to keep people’s information safe and secure online; and</li>
<li>And third, privacy in the digital age.</li>
</ul>
<br />
These are complex issues and I want to address them in a meaningful way, so forgive me for digging into the details a bit!<br />
<br />
<b>Government surveillance</b><br />
<br />
One of the most basic duties of any government is to protect its citizens. It’s always been true that technology can be used for good, and bad. Since humankind discovered fire, there’s been arson. And today, the technologies we all use to find information or chat with loved ones, are also being co-opted by the criminal minority for their own purposes.<br />
<br />
It’s why companies like Google have a responsibility to work with law enforcement. And we do--regularly providing account details, as well as the contents of private communications, like email, to the authorities as they investigate crime and terrorism.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>For example, in the first six months of 2010, Google received almost 15,000 government requests for user data. By 2014, that number had risen to just under 35,000.</li>
<li>We look carefully at every request and provide information in the majority of these cases--over 65 percent.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Why, you may ask, didn’t we comply in every case? Well, we have a duty to our users, as well. When people sign-up for an email account, they trust Google to keep that information private. So we need to be certain the law enforcement requests we receive--and remember they come from all around the world--are legitimate, not targeted at political activists or incredibly broad in their scope. And we never let governments just help themselves to our users' data. No government--including the US government--has backdoor access to Google or surveillance equipment on our networks. Let me repeat that. The United States Government does not have backdoor access to Google. <br />
<br />
This is why encryption is also important--because it requires governments to go through the proper legal channels. There’s simply no other way for them to get encrypted data, save hacking into our systems or by targeting individual users--issues I’ll touch on later. In fact, Gmail was the first email service to be encrypted by default, and we now encrypt Google Search, Maps, and Drive (our cloud-based storage service).<br />
<br />
In the last few months, a number of governments have voiced their concern about the time it takes to process requests for user data when investigating crime, encryption and the storage of data, as well as the use of the Internet by terrorists. These concerns are entirely understandable, especially after last month’s horrific attacks in Paris and the barbaric murders of hostages by ISIS. So let me address each one in turn, starting with the time taken to process requests for user data. <br />
<br />
When it’s a threat to life situation, Google is able to provide information to the authorities within hours--this is incredibly important given the increased terrorist threat many governments face today. But in most other situations, law enforcement requests--especially for private communications, such as Gmail--must be made through diplomatic channels, typically Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties, or MLATs for short. <br />
<br />
For example, if the US Government wants user information from a company based in Germany--say GMX or Xing--it works through the German government. It’s the same when the German government wants information from a US company, like Google. This creates checks and balances, preventing potential abuse. <br />
<br />
That said, the MLAT process is too slow, too complicated and in need of reform. For example, it would save everyone time if we moved beyond paper, fax machines and diplomatic pouches to web forms that are quick and easy to process. Europe is leading the way here. We now need the US to follow suit.<br />
<br />
However, even with reform, some intergovernmental oversight will always be necessary. If government X wants information on its own citizens, that’s one thing. But when it’s asking for information about country Y’s citizens, surely that country should have a say in the decision as well. This takes time. <br />
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Next: concerns that encryption and the deletion of data make it harder for law enforcement to investigate crime. It is absolutely true that encryption means law enforcement must come to Google with their requests--they cannot go through a third party, for example a telecommunications provider. <br />
<br />
And when it comes to data stored on phones and laptops, it’s the users who have the encryption keys--not Google. But people do keep sensitive stuff on these devices so it’s important to keep them secure. It’s the modern-day equivalent of putting sensitive documents in a safe with a combination lock. <br />
<br />
Which brings me to the bigger point about encryption: It helps keep everyone safe and secure on the web by preventing the theft of sensitive information such as bank details or credit cards. Given most people use the Internet for the reasons it was intended, we shouldn’t weaken security and privacy protections for the majority to deal with the minority who don’t. <br />
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It’s the same with the deletion of data. One example is Snapchat, a popular new messaging app. Snapchat automatically deletes photos and videos once they have been shared. It’s the ultimate right to be forgotten for the millions of young people using the service every day. That’s a good thing. <br />
<br />
Finally, terrorism. All of us have been horrified by ISIS and their use of the media to spread propaganda. At YouTube, the world’s most popular video sharing platform, we’re acutely aware of our responsibilities. <br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Last year alone we removed 14 million videos because they broke YouTube’s policies, including those prohibiting gratuitous violence, incitement to violence and hate speech.</li>
<li>We automatically terminate the accounts of any terror group, and hand over the account information to the authorities.</li>
<li>We allow law enforcement, for example the UK Home Office, to flag videos containing terrorist content, which we review and remove as a priority. We hope to work with law enforcement in other countries on similar efforts.</li>
<li>And we partner with dozens of non-governmental organizations on counter-speech--helping provide an alternative viewpoint to vulnerable young people.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Of course there is always more to be done and we welcome your ideas and feedback.<br />
<br />
Over the last three years, first with Edward Snowden and now ISIS, we’ve seen the political debate about government access to information swing from one end of the spectrum to the other. Indeed, the race to encrypt was driven in large part by Snowden’s revelations, which uncovered some pretty outrageous behavior on the part of the US Government. The emergence of ISIS is now leading some governments to question encryption entirely, as well as to call for increased data retention. The solution, we believe, lies in a principled yet practical approach: one that restricts indiscriminate surveillance and supports valid law enforcement efforts while also protecting people’s privacy and security.<br />
<br />
<b>Privacy and security of personal information</b><br />
<br />
Which brings me to my next subject: keeping people’s information safe and secure. In many ways, privacy and security are two sides of the same coin--if your data is not secure it’s not private, as last year’s celebrity hacks showed. While the target that time was Hollywood, it could just as easily have been you or me. So it’s not surprising that a recent <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/178856/hacking-tops-list-crimes-americans-worry.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_content=heading&utm_campaign=syndication">Gallup poll</a> showed people are more concerned with theft online than having their house broken into.<br />
<br />
In the last four years, we’ve been able to cut in half the number of Google accounts that are hijacked. For example, we block suspicious attempts to log into accounts--perhaps because they come from an unusual device or location. If you’ve ever traveled abroad and got an email questioning a recent login, that’s Google working to keep you safe. And we also offer two-factor authentication so people are no longer rely only on their passwords for protection. Instead people confirm their identity not just with a password but also a code generated by their phone or by a USB device. <br />
<br />
If you’re at this conference and you’re not using two-factor authentication, you really should be--please talk to Dr Wieland Holfeder, the head of our Munich R&D Center, afterwards!<br />
<br />
Now, we’re under a lot of scrutiny in Europe because of our size. But it is precisely our size that enables us to invest a lot in security, which helps our users as well as the wider web. For example, our <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/safebrowsing/?hl=en">Safe Browsing</a> technology identifies sites that steal passwords or contain malware. If you’re using the Chrome browser, we show very visible warnings--20 million per week--when you try to visit a malicious webpage. And because we make this data publicly available, Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox browsers can use it as well. This helps protect over one billion people all around the world. <br />
<br />
We can also help move things forward in other ways: for instance, we now rank encrypted websites slightly higher in our search results, encouraging everyone to encrypt their services. And any company can take advantage of Google’s security expertise by using our corporate versions of Gmail and Drive. The fact that we employ 500 security and privacy experts means they don’t have to.<br />
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Corporate attacks are on the increase--and they highlight the interconnected nature of the web. The Sony hack, for example, not only exposed their own employees, but also the business plans of a high-profile tech CEO. These kinds of complexities are why security should be a team effort--companies working together, and governments working with companies. <br />
<br />
In 2010, Google disclosed that we had been subject to a significant cyberattack from China. At the time we were surprised that so few of the other companies targeted were willing to talk publicly. They were understandably afraid that doing so would frighten customers, provoke lawsuits, or worry investors. This is still the case for many corporations today.<br />
<br />
When individual companies keep attacks under wraps, it can make it harder for other companies to improve our defenses. It’s why we should all share with each other best practices and the threats we see. We also believe that governments could be more forthcoming about the cybersecurity intelligence they have, so everyone can better protect themselves. This information often seeps out slowly, not least because it tends to get over-classified. We’re all stronger when security is a shared responsibility.<br />
<br />
<b>Privacy and trust</b><br />
<br />
Finally, let me turn to privacy. I want to start by making clear Google hasn’t always got this right. It’s not just about the errors we have made--with products like Buzz or the mistaken collection of WiFi data--but about our attitude too. These have been lessons learned the hard way. But as our swift implementation of the Right to be Forgotten has shown, they are indeed lessons we have learned. <br />
<br />
Now privacy means different things for different people, in different situations. For example, I may share photos only with my loved ones--others may feel comfortable posting them on the web. I may be happy for my friends to keep my shared photos forever--others may want them to disappear soon after they are shared. <br />
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In the end, privacy is closely tied to our sense of personal identity: it’s not “one size fits all”. That’s why people want to be in control of the information they share and have real choices about the services they use. And that’s what we focus on at Google. <br />
<br />
Keeping a record of what people search for can improve the quality of their results over time. But if you want to search without your queries being stored, turn off Search History. It’s really easy. If Google has someone’s location, we can give directions without them having to type in their start point each time. That’s great for people like me with fat fingers on a mobile phone. But you can always turn location off too.<br />
<br />
In addition, you can see all the information stored by Google and access all your privacy settings from one place, your Dashboard--which by the way was developed right here in Munich by our German engineers. Just type "Dashboard" into Google and it's right there. You can see who you have shared documents with, the apps you have downloaded to your phone and much more. People are using these tools and understand the choices they make. Ten million people check out their Account History settings each week--and make over 2.5 million changes. These are split evenly between people turning settings off and turning them on. <br />
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We also take pride in letting people leave Google easily. Data portability matters. So we’ve built a <a href="https://www.google.com/settings/takeout">Takeout</a> tool that enables you remove data stored by Google and put it elsewhere. We want people using our services because they love them, not because we hold their data hostage.<br />
<br />
Now some of you are doubtless thinking: wait a minute--Google still collects all that information to serve me ads. Well actually no. Most of the data we collect is used to provide and improve our services. For example we store hundreds of billions of emails because hundreds of millions of people globally want unlimited storage. Gmail has become their digital filing cabinet. In fact, the core of our business--our Google search ads--actually requires almost no personal information. If you type flowers into Google search--the chances are you want … well … flowers! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a ton of data to work that one out.<br />
<br />
Of course it is true that most of our services today are supported by advertising. But we view that as a positive because ads enable us to offer our products for free to everyone. Without ads, the poorest would not have access to the same search results, the same maps, the same translation tools, the same email service as everyone here today. And it’s important to remember that even though we are in the advertising business, Google does not sell your personal information. Let me repeat that. Google does not sell your personal information. Nor do we share it without your permission except in very limited circumstances, like government requests for data. <br />
<br />
Now some people argue that Google’s collection of data is no different than government surveillance. “Google has the data so why shouldn’t we” is an argument used by many intelligence services in the press. But we believe there is a significant difference. Government surveillance uses data that was collected for an entirely separate purpose; it’s conducted in secret; its targets are unaware their data is being collected, and they are unable to stop or control it. <br />
<br />
Google, by contrast, collects data to provide and improve our products. And we give our users the ability to control or stop the collection of their data, or leave entirely.<br />
<br />
<b>The potential of science and technology</b><br />
<br />
I was reading about the history of this building. I was amazed to see how long the project took: King Maximilian first started construction in 1857. It wasn’t completed until 1874, 17 years later. They actually had to change the style of architecture, mid-build, to keep up with the times.<br />
<br />
In those 17 years, though, we saw the invention of the gasoline engine, the sewing machine and the typewriter. Darwin wrote the <i>Origin of Species</i>, and Mendeleev created the periodic table. That’s a pretty good 17 years. Technology was moving fast--probably faster than people wanted it to.<br />
<br />
Similarly, just 17 years ago, you couldn’t instantly share photos of your children with friends… or talk to anyone, wherever they are in the world. The idea of not having a landline telephone seemed absurd. <br />
<br />
The point is, just as in the 1850s, technology is moving fast. It’s changing the way we live. It’s raising new questions all the time. And, just as in the past, it’ll take many of us working together to come up with the right answers. At Google, we look forward to working with all of you on that. This building was constructed from a profound optimism about the potential for science and technology to improve lives. That optimism is in your history. It’s in your DNA. And it’s an optimism that Google shares with you.<br />
<br />
Vielen Dank. <br />
<br />
<span class="post-author">Posted by Al Verney, Corporate Communications</span>European Public Policy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01737008584457356672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-51958992863701908552013-05-07T10:57:00.003+02:002020-07-30T20:20:19.387+02:00Calling for entries to the EU Hackathon The European Union Hackathon is back. For the third straight year, Google is supporting two days of serious fun in September for programmers to code an application that shines a light on an important policy issue. This year’s theme is privacy - and contestants are being asked to work on products that visualize government government access to citizens’ private communications online.<br />
<br />
Entries are now being accepted via this <a href="http://2013.euhackathon.eu/apply/ ">online application</a> unti June 15, 2013 at noon CET. Complete information about the event is available on this <a href="http://2013.euhackathon.eu/ ">website</a>. Help us spread the word to attract talented applicants, or apply yourself!<br />
<br />
<iframe width="540" height="305" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qeLuI6hJNwo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
The hackathon will take place on September 24th-25th, with programming sessions held in the Google Brussels office. <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96823/PETRU+CONSTANTIN_LUHAN_home.html;jsessionid=76486E61DF677A2540054984658C2C58.node2">MEP Petru Luhan</a> is hosting the event’s awards ceremony on WednesdaySeptember 25th from 16.15 to 18.00 at the European Parliament.<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/reding/index_en.htm"> European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding</a> is scheduled to join the ceremonies. <br />
<br />
In addition to Google’s support, a broad network of civil society groups are working on the event. They include <a href="https://www.accessnow.org/">Access Now</a>, the <a href="https://www.cdt.org">Center for Democracy & Technology</a>, <a href="https://digitalegesellschaft.de/uber-uns/ ">Digitale Gesellschaft</a>, the <a href="http://edri.org/ ">European Digital Rights initiative</a>, the <a href="https://www.eff.org/ ">Electronic Frontier Foundation </a>, Google, the <a href="http://nurpa.be/ ">Net Users’ Rights Protection Association</a>, the <a href="http://okfn.org/">Open Knowledge Foundation</a>, <a href="http://www.quintessenz.at/">quintessenz</a>, <a href="http://www.transparency.org.uk/">Transparency International</a>, and <a href="http://visualizing.org/">visualizing.org</a>.<br />
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EUHackathon participants will build data visualizations using data sets from network analysis, corporate transparency reports and Freedom of Information Act requests. Greater transparency and awareness are critical to ensuring government surveillance is only used when necessary and proportionate.<br />
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Selected applicants will have their travel and accommodation costs covered and the winner or winning team will be awarded EUR5,000, courtesy of our sponsors. Not to forget, there will also be free food and WiFi.<br />
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We look forward to seeing you in September.<br />
<br />
<span class="post-author">Posted by Marco Pancini, Senior Policy Manager, Brussels</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-78544231979038130462013-01-28T08:52:00.002+01:002020-07-30T20:20:27.416+02:00Google's approach to government requests for users<i>Cross-posted with the <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.de/2013/01/googles-approach-to-government-requests.html">Official Google Blog</a></i><br />
<br />
Today, January 28, is Data Privacy Day, when the world recognizes the importance of preserving your online privacy and security.<br />
<br />
If it’s like most other days, Google—like many companies that provide online services to users—will receive dozens of letters, faxes and emails from government agencies and courts around the world requesting access to our users’ private account information. Typically this happens in connection with government investigations.<br />
<br />
It’s important for law enforcement agencies to pursue illegal activity and keep the public safe. We’re a law-abiding company, and we don’t want our services to be used in harmful ways. But it’s just as important that laws protect you against overly broad requests for your personal information.<br />
<br />
To strike this balance, we’re focused on three initiatives that I’d like to share, so you know what Google is doing to protect your privacy and security.<br />
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First, for several years we have advocated for updating laws like the U.S. Electronic Communications Privacy Act, so the same protections that apply to your personal documents that you keep in your home also apply to your email and online documents. We’ll continue this effort strongly in 2013 through our membership in the <a href="http://www.digitaldueprocess.org/index.cfm?objectid=37940370-2551-11DF-8E02000C296BA163">Digital Due Process coalition </a>and other initiatives.<br />
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Second, we’ll continue our long-standing strict process for handling these kinds of requests. When government agencies ask for our users’ personal information—like what you provide when you sign up for a Google Account, or the contents of an email—our team does several things:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>We scrutinize the request carefully to make sure it satisfies the law and our policies. For us to consider complying, it generally must be made in writing, signed by an authorized official of the requesting agency and issued under an appropriate law.</li>
<li>We evaluate the scope of the request. If it’s overly broad, we may refuse to provide the information or seek to<a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.be/2006/03/judge-tells-doj-no-on-search-queries.html"> narrow the request</a>. We do this frequently.</li>
<li>We notify users about legal demands when appropriate so that they can contact the entity requesting it or consult a lawyer. Sometimes we can’t, either because we’re legally prohibited (in which case we sometimes seek to lift gag orders or unseal search warrants) or we don’t have their verified contact information.</li>
<li>We require that government agencies conducting criminal investigations use a search warrant to compel us to provide a user’s search query information and private content stored in a Google Account—such as Gmail messages, documents, photos and YouTube videos. We believe a warrant is required by the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits unreasonable search and seizure and overrides conflicting provisions in ECPA.</li>
</ul>
<br />
And third, we work hard to provide you with information about government requests. Today, for example, we’ve added a <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/userdatarequests/legalprocess/">new section</a> to our Transparency Report that answers many questions you might have. And last week we released <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.be/2013/01/transparency-report-what-it-takes-for.html">data </a>showing that government requests continue to rise, along with additional details on the U.S. legal processes—such as subpoenas, court orders and warrants—that government use to compel us to provide this information.<br />
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We’re proud of our approach, and we believe it’s the right way to make sure governments can pursue legitimate investigations while we do our best to protect your privacy and security.<br />
<br />
<span class="post-author">Posted by David Drummond, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-23656938382505699112013-01-23T16:05:00.000+01:002020-07-30T20:20:27.131+02:00What it takes for governments to access personal information<span class="post-author">Cross-posted from the <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.de/2013/01/transparency-report-what-it-takes-for.html">Official Google Blog</a></span><br />
<br />
Today we’re releasing new data for the <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/userdatarequests/">Transparency Report</a>, showing that the steady increase in government requests for our users’ data continued in the second half of 2012, as usage of our services continued to grow. We’ve shared figures like this <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/greater-transparency-around-government.html">since 2010</a> because it’s important for people to understand how government actions affect them.<br />
<br />
We’re always looking for ways to make the report even more informative. So for the first time we’re now <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/userdatarequests/US/">including</a> a breakdown of the kinds of legal process that government entities in the U.S. use when compelling communications and technology companies to hand over user data. From July through December 2012:<br />
<ul><li>68 percent of the requests Google received from government entities in the U.S. were through subpoenas. These are requests for user-identifying information, issued under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (“ECPA”), and are the easiest to get because they typically don’t involve judges.</li>
<li>22 percent were through ECPA search warrants. These are, generally speaking, orders issued by judges under ECPA, based on a demonstration of “probable cause” to believe that certain information related to a crime is presently in the place to be searched.</li>
<li>The remaining 10 percent were mostly court orders issued under ECPA by judges or other processes that are difficult to categorize.</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator"; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoj_WWknW8fi7aWGO3yiCFE6Ezu3bUal1M01G6ijuDkKURXMELKuj1msY-xQRvFka-aKu-Fb18ns2Mysl1flLeygaklL0_pWyhAO-wxAbjwFVE5nADSlQrI1g4TZ38AuogGPpLpx4lw/s1600/US_transparency_report.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoj_WWknW8fi7aWGO3yiCFE6Ezu3bUal1M01G6ijuDkKURXMELKuj1msY-xQRvFka-aKu-Fb18ns2Mysl1flLeygaklL0_pWyhAO-wxAbjwFVE5nADSlQrI1g4TZ38AuogGPpLpx4lw/s500/US_transparency_report.png" width="500" /></a></div><br />
User data requests of all kinds have increased by more than 70 percent since 2009, as you can see in our new visualizations of overall trends. In total, we received 21,389 requests for information about 33,634 users from July through December 2012.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZVImEkOY47oNKvGPvhceYZ7C68Ty9H-Zx2BD3B10LjeTK9BaV92jKcg4MbFxLVRo8uXbWGZ6DeQXdGiWR-54Ls3e-YGTVgOIhFm8Fa2dc-q-QiVy7Q4VFeyX2XjH_zTgEdpX7p_ytw/s1600/charts_transparency_report.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZVImEkOY47oNKvGPvhceYZ7C68Ty9H-Zx2BD3B10LjeTK9BaV92jKcg4MbFxLVRo8uXbWGZ6DeQXdGiWR-54Ls3e-YGTVgOIhFm8Fa2dc-q-QiVy7Q4VFeyX2XjH_zTgEdpX7p_ytw/s500/charts_transparency_report.png" width="500" /></a></div><br />
We’ll keep looking for more ways to inform you about government requests and how we handle them. We hope more companies and governments themselves join us in this effort by releasing similar kinds of data.<br />
<br />
One last thing: You may have noticed that the latest Transparency Report doesn’t include new data on <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/government/">content removals</a>. That’s because we’ve decided to release those numbers separately going forward. Stay tuned for that data.<br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Richard Salgado, Legal Director, Law Enforcement and Information Security</span>European Public Policy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01737008584457356672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-23895423359200500322012-11-13T17:04:00.000+01:002020-07-30T20:20:27.136+02:00Transparency Report: government requests on the rise<i><span class="byline-author">Cross-posted with the<a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.be/2012/11/transparency-report-government-requests.html"> Official Google Blog</a></span></i><br />
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We think it’s important to shine a light on how government actions could affect our users. When we first launched the <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport">Transparency Report</a> in early 2010, there wasn’t much data out there about how governments sometimes hamper the free flow of information on the web. So we took our first step toward greater transparency by disclosing the number of government requests we received. At the time, we weren’t sure how things would look beyond that first snapshot, so we pledged to release numbers twice a year. Today we’re updating the Transparency Report with data about government requests from January to June 2012. <br />
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This is the sixth time we’ve released this data, and one trend has become clear: Government surveillance is on the rise. As you can see from the graph below, government demands for user data have increased steadily since we first launched the Transparency Report. In the first half of 2012, there were 20,938 inquiries from government entities around the world. Those requests were for information about 34,614 accounts.<br />
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<div class="separator" text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSVO4fvZjfjWljABDhOCBEhc4YSd7kPlUPmOcRNcUPR36oyMc0X7uDqHFqglg31IHdUnIwDnzPQaqUaGkYfN3OrA-HD9IuQa7cxMluM4akHO12noYKM1JdtoYAVpWZJb6AhbanguxOw/s1600/user+data.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSVO4fvZjfjWljABDhOCBEhc4YSd7kPlUPmOcRNcUPR36oyMc0X7uDqHFqglg31IHdUnIwDnzPQaqUaGkYfN3OrA-HD9IuQa7cxMluM4akHO12noYKM1JdtoYAVpWZJb6AhbanguxOw/s500/user+data.png" width="500" /></a></div><br />
The number of government requests to remove content from our services was largely flat from 2009 to 2011. But it’s spiked in this reporting period. In the first half of 2012, there were 1,791 requests from government officials around the world to remove 17,746 pieces of content. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSTccqHleOV_L7Me_OSO3fwLHIn0gnx0R7S9yS244JoKM5X49Ju2oEUYrW9KolERsCOA2TAg3iAi1GVKDWuD7uYAfSBni5NqIIVq-fbTkpm0_hgkQ7dpi4EbWNBCrDqAFLd8tUayMhw/s1600/remove+content.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSTccqHleOV_L7Me_OSO3fwLHIn0gnx0R7S9yS244JoKM5X49Ju2oEUYrW9KolERsCOA2TAg3iAi1GVKDWuD7uYAfSBni5NqIIVq-fbTkpm0_hgkQ7dpi4EbWNBCrDqAFLd8tUayMhw/s500/remove+content.png" width="500" /></a></div><br />
You can see the country-by-country trends for requests to hand over <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/userdatarequests/">user data</a> and to <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/government/">remove content</a> from our services in the Transparency Report itself, but in aggregate around the world, the numbers continue to go up.<br />
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As always, we continue to improve the Transparency Report with each data release. Like before, we’re including <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/government/notes/?by=period">annotations</a> for this time period with interesting facts. We’re also <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/government/">showing new bar graphs</a> with data in addition to tables to better display content removal trends over time. We’ve now translated the entire Transparency Report into 40 languages, and we’ve expanded our FAQ—including one that explains how we sometimes <a href="https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/government/faq/#non_compliance_reasons">receive falsified court orders</a> asking us to remove content. We do our best to verify the legitimacy of the documents we receive, and if we determine that any are fake, we don’t comply.<br />
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The information we disclose is only an isolated sliver showing how governments interact with the Internet, since for the most part we don’t know what requests are made of other technology or telecommunications companies. But we’re heartened that in the past year, more companies like <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/transparency">Dropbox</a>, <a href="http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/21733">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="http://corp.sonic.net/ceo/2012/04/13/transparency-report/">Sonic.net</a> and <a href="http://blog.twitter.com/2012/07/twitter-transparency-report.html">Twitter</a> have begun to share their statistics too. Our hope is that over time, more data will bolster public debate about how we can best keep the Internet free and open.<br />
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<span class="byline-author">Posted by Dorothy Chou, Senior Policy Analyst</span><br />
European Public Policy Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01737008584457356672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-60478675971006951362012-03-30T17:17:00.005+02:002020-07-30T20:20:34.696+02:00Watch the Big Tent on YouTubeOur programme of Big Tent events aims to bring together digital businesses, policymakers and advocacy groups to debate some of the hot issues facing the Internet and society. <div><br /></div><div>Now, with the launch of our new <a href="http://www.youtube.com/bigtent">Big Tent YouTube channel </a>, everyone can engage with these debates online.</div><div><br /></div><div>The channel includes videos from our sessions so far in <a href="http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2011/05/inside-big-tent.html"> London </a>, <a href="http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2011/12/big-tent-for-free-expression-in-hague.html"> The Hague</a>, <a href="http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2011/11/datendialog-big-tent-goes-to-berlin.html"> Berlin </a> and <a href="http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2012/03/five-billion-voices-big-tent-comes-to.htm"> Madrid</a>. You can filter by topic, speaker and event, so whether you’re interested in privacy or child safety, Hillary Clinton on Internet freedom or Wael Ghonim on the role of the Internet in Egypt’s revolution, it’s all available under the Big Tent.<br /><br /><iframe width="520" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uo1I_dOf_OQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br />The launch of our new channel coincides with our first Big Tent in the US--an event on Digital Citizenship held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. Over the course of the day, we discussed child safety online, the most effective ways to incorporate technology with educationa and what governments and civil society can do to maintain a responsible and innovative web.</div><div><br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="520" height="285" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F114022595785642259106%2Falbumid%2F5726791794057359153%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /></div><div>Stay tuned for videos from that and future Big Tents as the programme continues to roll out across the world.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="post-author">Posted by Peter Barron, Director of External Relations EMEA</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-34584565012007828422012-03-01T09:01:00.000+01:002020-07-30T20:20:42.891+02:00Google's new privacy policy<span class="post-author"><i>Cross-posted from the <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/googles-new-privacy-policy.html">Official Google Blog</a></i></span><br />
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Our <a href="http://www.google.com/privacy">updated Privacy Policy</a> takes effect today, March 1. As you use our products one thing will be clear: it’s the same Google experience that you’re used to, with the same controls. <br />
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And because we’re making these changes, over time we’ll be able to improve our products in ways that help our users get the most from the web.<br />
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While we’ve undertaken the most extensive user education campaign in our history to explain the coming changes, we know there has been a fair amount of chatter and confusion. <br />
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Here are a few important points to bear in mind:<br />
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<b>Our privacy policy is now much easier to understand.<br />
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We’ve included the key parts from more than 60 product-specific notices into our main Google Privacy Policy—so there’s no longer any need to be your own mini search engine if you want to work out what’s going on. Our Privacy Policy now explains, for the vast majority of our services, what data we’re collecting and how we may use it, in plain language.<br />
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<b>Our privacy policy will enable us to build a better, more intuitive user experience across Google for signed-in users.<br />
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If you’re signed in to Google, you expect our products to work really beautifully together. For example, if you’re working on Google Docs and you want to share it with someone on Gmail, you want their email right there ready to use. Our privacy policies have always allowed us to combine information from different products with your account—effectively using your data to provide you with a better service. However, we’ve been restricted in our ability to combine your YouTube and Search histories with other information in your account. Our new Privacy Policy gets rid of those inconsistencies so we can make more of your information available to you when using Google.<br />
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So in the future, if you do frequent searches for Jamie Oliver, we could recommend Jamie Oliver videos when you’re looking for recipes on YouTube—or we might suggest ads for his cookbooks when you’re on other Google properties. <br />
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<b>Our privacy controls aren’t changing.<br />
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The new policy doesn’t change any existing privacy settings or how any personal information is shared outside of Google. We aren’t collecting any new or additional information about users. We won’t be selling your personal data. And we will continue to employ industry-leading security to keep your information safe.<br />
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If you don’t think information sharing will improve your experience, you can use our privacy tools [<a href="http://www.google.com/privacy/tools">link</a>] to do things like edit or turn off your search history [<a href="http://www.google.com/history">link</a>] and YouTube history [<a href="http://www.youtube.com/my_history">link</a>], control [<a href="http://www.google.com/ads/preferences">link</a>] the way Google tailors ads to your interests and browse the web “incognito” using Chrome [<a href="http://www.google.com/goodtoknow/manage-data/incognito-mode/">link</a>]. You can use services like Search, Maps and YouTube if you are not signed in. You can even separate your information into different accounts, since we don’t combine personal information across them. And we’re committed to <a href="http://www.dataliberation.org/">data liberation</a>, so if you want to take your information elsewhere you can.<br />
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We’ll continue to look for ways to make it simpler for you to understand and control how we use the information you entrust to us. We build Google for you, and we think these changes will make our services even better. <br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-33310578330804791662012-02-16T12:59:00.000+01:002020-07-30T20:20:42.814+02:00Our thoughts on the right to be forgottenOne of the most talked about concepts in the European Commission’s new <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/12/46&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en">Data Protection Regulation proposal</a> is the right to be forgotten. It is, at least in part, a continuation of the rights of access and objection that web users were granted in the 1995 Data Protection Directive. It also goes further, including other concepts that we have already embedded in our <a href="http://www.google.com/about/company/privacy_principles.html">privacy principles and practices</a> like improved transparency, providing clear information to people and giving them fine-grained privacy choices - including the ability to remove data they uploaded to our services. <br />
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Today, more and more people are entrusting their data to online hosting platforms and using social networks and search engines to find information on the Web - and there are no signs of web usage slowing. So it’s vitally important that both those who provide online services and those who use them have a clear understanding of how a concept such as the right to be forgotten might apply. <br />
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For providers of online services, we think there are some important distinctions that need to be made between services that host content created by people (such as Facebook and YouTube) and services that point people to content that exists elsewhere (for example, search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo!). <br />
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<b>Hosting Platforms:</b><br />
<ul><li><b>Users’ Rights</b>: At the core of the right to be forgotten is the idea that a person using a hosting platform should have full control over, including the ability to delete, data he or she published intentionally. That means that a user should be able to delete an individual post, photo or video that he or she stored with the hosting platform. The user should also be able to delete his or her entire account with a given hosting platform, thereby deleting all the materials he or she had published and which was stored in that account.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Hosting Platforms’ Obligations</b>: Hosting platforms, for their part, should respect deletion requests made by a user regarding content placed there by that user, and carry them out in a timely way. That does not necessarily mean that deletion should be instantaneous; there are practical reasons why some delay should be permitted, for example to prevent the abusive deletion of content when an account has been compromised. Other limits, including legal or contractual obligations, may also legitimately delay deletion in certain circumstances.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Understanding the practical limits on what hosting platforms can do</b>: There are practical and legal limits to what can be expected of hosting platforms.</li>
<ul><li>First, it is possible for any material published online to be copied and re-published elsewhere. A hosting platform can and should delete copies of material that they store on behalf of a user upon his or her request, but it cannot be expected to maintain control over other copies of the material published elsewhere online, as these are outside of the control of the hosting platform.</li>
<li>Second, it is important that hosting platforms not be obliged to delete materials when doing so would be likely to undermine the security of the service or allow for fraud.</li>
<li>Third, hosting platforms cannot be expected to delete materials created collaboratively at the unilateral request of a single contributor. Where a clear ownership of a collaborative document has been assigned, responsibility for deletion should lie with that owner. In cases where ownership of a collaborative document is not clear - as in the case of wikis or usenet posts - the questions are more complex, and a clear solution is not currently obvious.</li>
<li>Fourth, in the same way postal services are not expected to monitor what is in the letters they carry, Internet hosting platforms should not be expected to exercise control over materials published by third parties. Fundamental responsibility for information available online must rest with the party that put that particular copy online, rather than with the hosting platform. This is consistent with the premise of existing European law, namely, the eCommerce Directive.</li>
</ul></ul><b>Search engines:</b><br />
<ul><li>Search engines serve an important function online, and the right to be forgotten should not interfere with their ability to point consumers to information published elsewhere.</li>
<li>For their part, search engines should respect the standard ways in which websites instruct search engines whether to crawl and index particular pages, such as header meta tags and robots.txt files</li>
<li>When, in the course of crawling the web, a search engine discovers that a page or site is no longer available online, it should update its search index to reflect these changes in a timely way.</li>
<li>Search engines should also provide a means for webmasters to accelerate removal of their site from search results. As with hosting platforms, the fundamental responsibility for information available online must rest with the publisher of that information, rather than with a search engine or other similar intermediary.</li>
</ul>Ultimately, responsibility for deleting content published online should lie with the person or entity who published it. Host providers store this information on behalf of the content provider and so have no original right to delete the data. Similarly, search engines index any publicly available information to make it searchable. They too have no direct relationship with the original content.<br />
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We’re supportive of the principles behind the right to be forgotten - and believe that it’s possible to implement this concept in a way that not only enhances privacy online, but also fosters free expression for all. <br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Peter Fleischer, Global Privacy Counsel</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-16242726295783094162012-02-03T16:47:00.004+01:002020-07-30T20:20:42.188+02:00More information on our privacy policy changes<i><b>Update, Tuesday 28 February, 14:30 CET</b>: Today we received a letter from the CNIL, and we have responded with <a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bw8Krj_Q8UaEczVuWGEwWFhTSkdZZ0MyU0NQRGptQQ">this letter</a></i>.<br />
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<i><b>Update, Friday 20 April, 14:15 CEST</b>: We have now responded to all the <a href="http://www.cnil.fr/la-cnil/actualite/article/article/nouvelles-regles-de-confidentialite-de-google-la-cnil-adresse-un-questionnaire-detaille/">questions from the CNIL</a> with <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8syaai6SSfiSUhFMHVpMmhFUG8/edit">this letter</a> and <a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B8syaai6SSfiVDNURHBqeG1TVUNzUzlBM1czSFJYUQ">this appendix</a>.</i><br />
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<i><b>Update, Thursday 21 June, 14:35 CEST</b>: We have responded to the second set of questions from the CNIL with <a href="http://goo.gl/xckcl">this letter</a>.</i><br />
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</div>
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Last night we received a letter from the Jacob Kohnstamm, Chairman of the Europe's Article 29 Working Party, asking for additional information about the changes to our privacy policy. <br />
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We briefed most of the members of the working party in the weeks leading up to our announcement. None of them expressed substantial concerns at the time, but of course we're happy to speak with any data protection authority that has questions. <br />
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We have responded to Mr Kohnstamm with further information, which you can read <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/google.com/file/d/0B8syaai6SSfiMDEyM2Q3YmEtNWUxZi00Mzc2LTljMTktZmExYjc0M2IyZWVh/edit?hl=en_US"><b>here</b></a>. <br />
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As we’ve said several times over the past week, while our privacy policies will change on 1st March, our commitment to our <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/about/company/privacy_principles.html">privacy principles</a> is as strong as ever. <br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Peter Fleischer, Global Privacy Counsel</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-40613862302296564692011-11-24T19:45:00.007+01:002020-07-30T20:20:43.319+02:00DatenDialog - Big Tent goes to Berlin<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eQsUQfmbf9g/Ts7Ah4yfj4I/AAAAAAAABcc/qQ63CMXB3wo/s1600/bigtent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eQsUQfmbf9g/Ts7Ah4yfj4I/AAAAAAAABcc/qQ63CMXB3wo/s320/bigtent.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
In May, we held our first <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KvtzIZSjxo" target="_blank">Big Tent</a> conference near London, where we debated some of the hot issues relating to the Internet and society with policy-makers, academics and NGOs. The term "big tent” not only described the marquee venue but also our aim to include diverse points of view. <br />
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After the UK success, we decided to export the concept. Yesterday we welcomed more than 200 guests in Berlin, Germany to the second Big Tent event, entitled <i>DatenDialog</i>. <br />
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This dialogue about data tackled the issue of online privacy from a variety of angles. It was appropriate to hold it in Germany, which is a pacesetter both in its concern about privacy and its ideas for safeguarding personal data. During the one-day event, we debated questions such as: what does responsible collaboration between the tech industry and the data protection authorities look like? Do we need new regulation to manage the Internet and the large amount of data produced in the online world? Who is responsible for educating users and how does the tech industry make sure it builds privacy controls into its products?<br />
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Speakers included the German State Secretary for the Interior <a href="http://http//www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/Personen/DE/Mitarbeiter/Minister_Staatssekretaere_Beauftagte/strogall_grothe.html%20%E2%80%93">Cornelia Rogall-Grothe</a> and the Federal Data Protection Commissioner<a href="http://www.bfdi.bund.de/EN/FederalDataProtectionCommissioner/BfD/LebenslaufSchaar_en.html"> Peter Schaar</a>, alongside international authors and bloggers <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_doctorow">Cory Doctorow</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Jarvis">Jeff Jarvis </a>who appeared via live video chat from the US.<br />
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<embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F112811057739567149062%2Falbumid%2F5678892241111344881%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" height="267" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500"></embed><br />
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The debate was always lively, sometimes polarised - Cory likened amalgamated data to nuclear waste while Jeff appealed to governments not to regulate for the worst case - but all seemed to agree that it was a worthwhile and timely exercise to explore these important issues.<br />
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You can watch the highlights soon on our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/bigtentevents?feature=mhee" target="_blank">Big Tent YouTube channe</a>l, and stay tuned for more Big Tents on a range of topics around the world in the coming months. <br />
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<i></i><span class="post-author">Posted by Wieland Holfelder, Engineering Director, Germany</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-43813053059691903992011-11-23T10:11:00.001+01:002020-07-30T20:20:43.550+02:00Street View comes to to the heart of the European UnionBelgium today becomes the 17th European country launched on Street View. From now on, anyone with a computer will be able to visit the country’s 300 castles, 40 UNESCO World Heritage sites, 200 museums, and more than 2000 chocolate shops. In the the capital, Brussels, users can now take a virtual stroll around the famous Grand Place.<br />
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<iframe width="555" height="314" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Grand+Place,+Brussels&hnear=Grand-Place+City+of+Brussels,+Brussels,+Belgium&gl=uk&t=m&vpsrc=0&layer=c&cbll=50.846557,4.352414&panoid=arP8ACza1Z7LIOx35i1ZcA&cbp=13,12.77,,0,-10.13&source=embed&ie=UTF8&hq=&ll=50.838427,4.357538&spn=0.01702,0.048237&z=14&output=svembed"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Grand+Place,+Brussels&hnear=Grand-Place+City+of+Brussels,+Brussels,+Belgium&gl=uk&t=m&vpsrc=0&layer=c&cbll=50.846557,4.352414&panoid=arP8ACza1Z7LIOx35i1ZcA&cbp=13,12.77,,0,-10.13&source=embed&ie=UTF8&hq=&ll=50.838427,4.357538&spn=0.01702,0.048237&z=14" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
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Every day millions of Europeans use Street View to find their destination, make travel plans or get a helping hand with geography homework. Businesses also benefit from the Street View technology by embedding Google Maps directly into their site, helping them to promote a chain of hotels or increase awareness of a local store or restaurant. From the historic ruins of <a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2009/12/unesco-world-heritage-sites-in-street.html ">Pompei</a> to the majestic<a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/10/street-view-hits-stunning-swiss-alps.html "> Swiss Alps</a>, Street View helps preserve and promotes some Europe's most significant heritage sites for future generations.<br />
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As we roll out Street View, we have gone to great lengths to safeguard privacy. Street View only contains imagery that is already visible from public roads and features technology that blurs both faces and licence plates. In addition, any user can flag images for removal that he or she considers inappropriate by clicking on "Report a problem." When developing these safeguards, we have consulted extensively with many privacy and community groups. In Belgium, for example, we worked closely with the Belgian Privacy Commission, which published a <a href="http://www.privacycommission.be/nl/press_room/pers_bericht27.html">press release</a> of its findings. More information about Street View privacy policies is available at this <a href="www.google.com/streetview">web site</a>. <br />
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In the heart of Europe, policymakers now will be able to get a first hand look of Street View. Belgium was one of the founding members of the <a href="http://europa.eu/">European Union</a> and Brussels is home to many European Union and international headquarters. Users can now explore the area around the European Parliament and the European Commission.<br />
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<iframe width="555" height="314" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=European+Parliament,+Brussels,+Belgium&hl=en&sll=50.84258,4.383491&sspn=0.004688,0.01134&vpsrc=0&hq=European+Parliament,&hnear=City+of+Brussels,+Brussels,+Belgium&t=m&layer=c&cbll=50.838747,4.375366&panoid=7Qvgk90jpgRHnu8Z7IzaDg&cbp=13,85.7,,0,-10.27&source=embed&ie=UTF8&ll=50.83765,4.37596&spn=0.002127,0.00603&z=17&output=svembed"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=European+Parliament,+Brussels,+Belgium&hl=en&sll=50.84258,4.383491&sspn=0.004688,0.01134&vpsrc=0&hq=European+Parliament,&hnear=City+of+Brussels,+Brussels,+Belgium&t=m&layer=c&cbll=50.838747,4.375366&panoid=7Qvgk90jpgRHnu8Z7IzaDg&cbp=13,85.7,,0,-10.27&source=embed&ie=UTF8&ll=50.83765,4.37596&spn=0.002127,0.00603&z=17" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
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Beyond Brussels is a world of landscapes, castles and stone-built villages. From the scenic town centre of Bruges to the castles of Bouillon, Belgium’s magnificent sites are now available for all on Street View. The historic battlefield of Waterloo is also now live. <br />
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<iframe width="555" height="314" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=castles+of+Bouillon&hl=en&sll=50.464991,4.86469&sspn=0.014014,0.032594&vpsrc=0&gl=uk&hq=castles+of+Bouillon&t=m&layer=c&cbll=50.441472,5.2882&panoid=EaVBdU5UH7M0LNujgpPkbQ&cbp=13,230.95,,0,-0.47&source=embed&ie=UTF8&hnear=&ll=50.433359,5.293436&spn=0.017167,0.048237&z=14&output=svembed"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=castles+of+Bouillon&hl=en&sll=50.464991,4.86469&sspn=0.014014,0.032594&vpsrc=0&gl=uk&hq=castles+of+Bouillon&t=m&layer=c&cbll=50.441472,5.2882&panoid=EaVBdU5UH7M0LNujgpPkbQ&cbp=13,230.95,,0,-0.47&source=embed&ie=UTF8&hnear=&ll=50.433359,5.293436&spn=0.017167,0.048237&z=14" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small> <br />
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We’re thrilled to be launching the imagery of this fascinating country. As we continue to expand Street View, we look forward to making more of Europe available for users to explore.<br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Michael Valvo, Street View manager</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-2649325082165175562011-11-15T07:55:00.001+01:002020-07-30T20:20:42.580+02:00Greater choice for wireless access point owners<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<i>(Cross posted on<a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/"> Official Google Blo</a>g)</i></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
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From tagging a post with your location, to checking in to a restaurant, to simply finding out where you are, location-based services have become some of the most popular features of today’s Internet. One of the key ways technology companies are able to determine a location for these services is through a location database, which matches publicly broadcast information about local wireless networks with their approximate geographic location. By looking for wireless access points that are close to a user’s phone, location providers can return the approximate location you need. In addition, this method is a good alternative to other approaches, like GPS, because it’s faster, it works indoors, and it’s more battery-efficient.<br />
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The wireless access point information we use in our location database, the Google Location Server, doesn’t identify people. But as <a href="http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-option-for-location-based-services.html">first mentioned in September</a>, we can do more to address privacy concerns.<br />
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We’re introducing a method that lets you opt out of having your wireless access point included in the Google Location Server. To opt out, visit your access point’s settings and change the wireless network name (or SSID) so that it ends with “_nomap”. For example, if your SSID is <i>“Network”,</i> you‘d need to change it to <i>“Network_nomap”.</i><br />
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To get started, visit <a href="http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1725632">this Help Center article</a> to learn more about the process and to find links with specific instructions on how to change an access point’s SSID for various wireless access point manufacturers.<br />
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As we explored different approaches for opting-out access points from the Google Location Server, we found that a method based on wireless network names provides the right balance of simplicity as well as protection against abuse. Specifically, this approach helps protect against others opting out your access point without your permission. <br />
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Finally, because other location providers will also be able to observe these opt-outs, we hope that over time the “_nomap” string will be adopted universally. This would help benefit all users by providing everyone with a unified opt-out process regardless of location provider.<br />
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<i><b>Update</b> Nov 21:</i> Edited punctuation to clarify the "_nomap" tag.<br />
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<span class="byline-author"><i>Posted by Peter Fleischer, Global Privacy Counsel</i></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-14954925443553670172011-10-26T17:33:00.000+02:002020-07-30T20:20:42.060+02:00Opening an Internet Research Institute in BerlinIt was a demanding timetable. When Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt announced our intention to fund an <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/internetundgesellschaft.de/englisch/">Institute for Internet and Society</a> in Berlin last February, we and <a href="http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2011/10/launching-internet-society-research.html">four distinguished university partners</a> aimed to launch by autumn. Together we made the deadline. More than 500 guests from politics, business, media and science this week packed the Auditorium Maximum of Berlin's <a href="http://www.humboldt.edu/ ">Humboldt University</a> for the opening the Alexander von Humboldt Institute.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VFpWcaqCEAs/Tqgl-t-YKTI/AAAAAAAABRU/Xe4VOCcx83k/s1600/DDhandsover%2Bkeys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="254" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VFpWcaqCEAs/Tqgl-t-YKTI/AAAAAAAABRU/Xe4VOCcx83k/s400/DDhandsover%2Bkeys.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The German government representative <a href="http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birgit_Grundmann ">Birgit Grundmann</a>, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, spoke personally of the challenges of the digital world. This institution “interests me as the mother of two Internet addicted children," she said. “What are the information gaps and what must citizens be better informed about? The issue of transparency requires further research, as does data and consumer protection, and the question of the limits of anonymity on the net."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KdarPDTFziI/TqgmRxrHdmI/AAAAAAAABRg/I_-w_misZkU/s1600/Birgit%2BSpeaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KdarPDTFziI/TqgmRxrHdmI/AAAAAAAABRg/I_-w_misZkU/s400/Birgit%2BSpeaks.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The Institute’s first academic activity is a three-day symposium “Exploring the Digital Future” running through Friday. We expected about 200 participants. At the first session today, we were pleased to see more than 300. The symposium is tasked with defining the issues for the Institute to address. The Institute itself will choose its subjects to study; potential topics include Internet privacy, freedom of expression and civil liberties. <br />
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Humboldt University will house the Institute’s offices. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_von_Humboldt">Alexander von Humboldt</a>, the Institute’s namesake, was once described by Charles Darwin as "the greatest scientific traveler who ever lived". He is remembered as one of the founders of modern geography, thought leader of the Enlightenment and an explorer whose travels, experiments, and knowledge transformed science in the nineteenth century.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ggmHz73Z7uU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Our Senior Vice President David Drummond evoked Alexander von Humboldt, imagining how he would have worked today. David joked that "for his travels around the globe hopefully von Humboldt would also have used Google Maps.” He expressed hope that the institute “will be based on a philosophy of openness, open access, standards and an ability to innovation.” <br />
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He then handed over the new Institute's plaque to the academic leaders. If the opening ceremony gives any idea, the Institute looks set to enjoy a bright future.<br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Max Senges, Google Policy, Germany</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-43583958449760085572011-10-24T17:55:00.000+02:002020-07-30T20:20:43.512+02:00Celebrating Privacy at GoogleWe always try to put our users first when we create products at Google - and that means we’re thinking about privacy all day, every day, in everything we do. With so much happening in this important area, it’s nice to take a step back and look at the big picture every once in a while.<br />
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We just did that from 10th-14th October with our first-ever <i>Google Privacy Week</i>. This was a company-wide series of events designed to ensure we continue to adhere to strong privacy standards and practices, and share the lessons we’ve learned and progress we’ve made over the past year. <i>Google Privacy Week</i> featured more than two dozen talks and training opportunities, with Googlers from around the world participating live or via videoconference.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GIJmPvXUqKI/TqWG6k_AuQI/AAAAAAAABdI/PaNqxSkNIgA/s1600/privacy_day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GIJmPvXUqKI/TqWG6k_AuQI/AAAAAAAABdI/PaNqxSkNIgA/s400/privacy_day.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="post-author"><i>Alma Whitten speaks to Google engineers around the world.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Key topics included:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>the design philosophy behind some of the privacy tools we’ve built, such as Circles in <a href="https://plus.sandbox.google.com/">Google+</a>,<a href="http://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/?sig=ACi0TCgX-6faEis7upHyELGpWf06JeOwoebPpZuIvjdNR923OlIY9dy5uiML1n1RbM68ZEEXj_7fuCx2dCR-XYutNQ7PK3nXTgWmPARVsveBD64VYMGLZF0BWdWuLAiGz1XisedBB1mK5dzXxnKh_W9ncJeARWoO3nC8ra1pc5UkIOzeV4xJXDBtz9Tavjkr4NTzKla7jNSD3-VVLd57qSgNkuycYfWtdlbXLI3K49snaex_9F0ycjH0YZ87HxpOZvw_GAOSCQDzNlpX5OCbfQ0WZJi2HSi1yQ&hl=en"> Ads Preferences Manager</a> and <a href="http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?answer=1181793">Me On the Web</a></li>
<li>the strengthened internal controls and review process we’ve developed over the past year that ensure we design products with privacy in mind</li>
<li>how our<a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/about/corporate/company/privacy_principles.html"> Privacy Principles</a> guide our approach to protecting users and giving them transparency and choice</li>
<li>insights from our User Experience and <a href="http://www.google.com/enterprise/">Enterprise</a> teams on what our users and customers are asking for in terms of privacy</li>
</ul>We also welcomed some special guests, including Trevor Hughes, president and CEO of the <a href="https://www.privacyassociation.org/">International Association of Privacy Professionals</a> (IAPP); Chris Hoofnagle of the <a href="http://www.law.berkeley.edu/bclt.htm">Berkeley Center for Law and Technology</a>; and Bob Warner and Fiona Lennox of the <a href="http://www.communicationsconsumerpanel.org.uk/">Ofcom </a>Consumer Communications Panel.<br />
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Author <a href="http://www.buzzmachine.com/about-me/">Jeff Jarvis</a> gave a thoughtful and provocative talk about his new book <i><a href="http://www.buzzmachine.com/publicparts/">Public Parts</a></i>:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MFZ-AsmxV-w" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<i>Google Privacy Week</i> was a great opportunity to evaluate our progress and prepare for the work we have in front of us. It’s inspiring to see the amount of attention Googlers around the world are putting into building products, tools and options that help our users better control their privacy - both on Google products and as they browse the web.<br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-43414074751784501972011-10-17T11:57:00.000+02:002020-07-30T20:20:43.396+02:00Good to knowToday in the UK we launched <i>Good To Know</i>, a consumer advertising campaign designed to give people practical guidance on staying safe online. Companies and developers that build online services are often dismissed as playing fast and loose with privacy. No doubt some bad actors do so, but most of them, including Google, understand that the viability of our businesses relies on people and their information being safe online. That safety encompasses both security and privacy.<br />
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While people want to stay safe online, many of them don’t feel equipped to do so. Our goal with the <i>Good To Know</i> campaign is to provide people with practical guidance, from selecting safe passwords to keeping their online accounts secure. Google and the <a href="http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/">Citizens Advice Bureau</a> are working together to educate and empower consumers across the UK.<br />
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Today we’re also launching a <a href="http://www.google.com/goodtoknow/">new section of the Google website</a> that makes learning about security and privacy easier for the average consumer. We know that in-depth resources like privacy policies and terms of service are often too long, complex and legalistic. In the past few years, we’ve tried to make it easier to learn about privacy by creating <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/googleprivacy">short videos</a> and by working to reduce the length and complexity of our privacy policy. The new <i>Good to Know</i> website builds on this commitment to explaining things in simple language. The in-depth resources are still there, but we hope a more layered approach will make this information more accessible for everyone.<br />
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Keeping people safe and providing them with the services they want requires both careful engineering and sensible public policy. It also requires that consumers understand both the benefits and the potential dangers of using new technologies. Improved media literacy will be essential to the ongoing success of the Internet, and we look forward to continuing to engage in this discussion. <br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-4786049579885123532011-09-20T17:02:00.000+02:002020-07-30T20:20:43.784+02:00Our commitment to the Safe Harbor privacy frameworkRecently, there’s been a debate in some circles in Europe about whether the agreements that cover data flows between the US and Europe - and in particular the <a href="http://export.gov/safeharbor/index.asp">US-EU Safe Harbor Agreement</a> - provide adequate privacy protections. <br />
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One of the triggers of the debate is that it is possible for the US government (and European governments) to access certain types of data via their law enforcement agencies. We agree that this kind of access to data merits serious discussion and more transparency - which is why we’ve been <a href="http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/">publishing details of law enforcement requests</a> made to us for one and a half years now. But the reality is that the challenges around law enforcement require new, transatlantic answers, and so we applaud the efforts currently being made by the EU and the US. <br />
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At the same time, it’s important to remember that the US-EU Safe Harbor Agreement</a> - which guides Google’s daily business operations, as well as those of more than 2,500 other US companies that also offer services in Europe - is a robust and highly successful privacy framework that has benefited consumers and our economies over many years. We've designed our <a href="http://www.google.com/privacy/privacy-policy.html">privacy policies</a> around it. We've also been subject to a Safe Harbor enforcement action and agreed to a <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/03/google.shtm">consent decree</a> with the FTC relating to the launch of Buzz which will guide our privacy practices for 20 years. <br />
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Here's how we describe Safe Harbor in our privacy policies:<br />
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<i>"Google adheres to the US Safe Harbor Privacy Principles of Notice, Choice, Onward Transfer, Security, Data Integrity, Access and Enforcement, and is registered with the <a href="http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/">U.S. Department of Commerce’s Safe Harbor Program</a>."<br />
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"Google regularly reviews its compliance with this Privacy Policy. When we receive formal written complaints, it is Google’s policy to contact the complaining user regarding his or her concerns. We will cooperate with the appropriate regulatory authorities, including local data protection authorities, to resolve any complaints regarding the transfer of personal data that cannot be resolved between Google and an individual."</i><br />
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Technically, the Safe Harbor framework is designed to ensure that companies can transfer personal data from the European Union to the US, while ensuring that the data remains protected according to seven core EU-like privacy principles. In practice, for us, Safe Harbor means our users in both Europe and the US can be sure they’re getting not just the same level of service, but also the same level of privacy protection. <br />
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As a reminder, the world’s major privacy frameworks have all had dual goals: protecting privacy and facilitating cross-border flows of data - and the economic, social and cultural benefits they enable. Both goals are at the heart of both the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/document/18/0,3746,en_2649_34255_1815186_1_1_1_1,00&&en-USS_01DBC.html">OECD Privacy Guidelines</a> and the <a href="http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/information_society/data_protection/l14012_en.htm">EU Data Protection Directive</a>. And the same applies for the US-EU Safe Harbor Agreement,<br />
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Before Safe Harbor, there were very limited mechanisms for the transfer of personal data from the EU to the US. On the Internet, such transfers - in both directions - are ubiquitous and instantaneous. Before Safe Harbor, people could wonder whether there was an adequate legal basis for all those transfers. <br />
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Today, as a long-term privacy practitioner, I cannot think of a single international privacy framework that has done more to raise the standards of privacy practices by US companies over the last decade than Safe Harbor. It's hard to drive compliance in the face of dozens of contradictory privacy regimes, with overlapping jurisdiction and conflicting applicable laws. It's far more practical to rely on Safe Harbor, with one comprehensible, consistent framework for protecting privacy, and to create a compliance program to back it up, as the European Commission noted in a <a href="http://export.gov/static/sh_en_EUletter27JulyHeader_Latest_eg_main_018403.pdf">letter</a> sent to the United States government. <br />
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In fact, Safe Harbor has become the global framework by which many multinationals organize their global privacy compliance efforts, extending its reach far beyond the narrow explicit confines of data transfers from Europe to the US. Or as Damon Greer, the US government official currently responsible for Safe Harbor, recently put it in an <a href="http://idpl.oxfordjournals.org/content/1/3/143.short?rss=1&ssource=mfr">eloquent rebuttal</a> of the critiques of the program, “safe harbour has been a resounding success … facilitating the recognition by US business that privacy is a critical factor to success in the global marketplace.” <br />
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Speaking from experience, we couldn’t agree more. <br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted byPeter Fleischer, Global Privacy Counsel</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-50552591234403764102011-09-13T12:02:00.003+02:002020-07-30T20:20:43.982+02:00A new option for location-based servicesEvery day millions of people around the world use location-based services, which rely on a user’s estimated location to provide a better product experience. Google Maps for Mobile, for example, helps people find themselves on a map and then locate places nearby. <br />
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Estimating the location of someone using a service can be done in several different ways. As GPS is not always available and locations derived from cell towers aren’t very accurate, Google (like other Internet companies) uses publicly broadcast Wi-Fi data from wireless access points to improve our location-based services. By using signals from access points, smart phones are able to fix their general location quickly without using too much power.<br />
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These signals can make products much more useful - by enabling public transport authorities to show you when a bus is expected to arrive at your nearest bus stop, for example. <br />
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Even though the wireless access point signals we use in our location services don’t identify people, we think we can go further in protecting people’s privacy. At the request of several European data protection authorities, we are building an opt-out service that will allow an access point owner to opt out from Google's location services. Once opted out, our services will not use that access point to determine users’ locations.<br />
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We’ll be making this opt-out available globally, and we’ll release more detailed information about it when it’s ready to launch later this autumn. <br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Peter Fleischer, Global Privacy Counsel</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-26481162359886111562011-08-16T11:14:00.000+02:002020-07-30T20:20:42.540+02:00Ongoing privacy workLast October we announced the creation of <a href="http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2010/10/creating-stronger-privacy-controls.html">stronger privacy controls inside Google</a>. The changes included enhancements to employee training and changes to our internal procedures, as well as my appointment as director of privacy for product and engineering. <br />
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In the months since then, I have worked closely with people across the company to improve our training programmes and our product development processes, and to expand their reach. We’ve expanded privacy and security trainings for new employees, and we’ve significantly enhanced the core training for engineers over the past year to focus on the responsible collection, use and handling of data. We’ve also developed new security and privacy training for all Googlers. At the same time, we have improved our internal procedures by introducing new documentation for engineering projects and by creating a team to review (and where appropriate audit) those projects. <br />
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These changes have just received their first external review. In the course of completing its investigation into our <a href="http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2010/05/wifi-data-collection-update.html">inadvertent collection of WiFi payload data</a>, the Information Commissioner’s Office requested a consensual audit of our privacy processes. Today, the ICO released its report, finding “reasonable assurance that Google have implemented the privacy process changes outlined in the Undertaking.” The report verifies the improvements we’ve made to our internal privacy structures, training programmes and internal reviews, and identifies some scope for continued work. We welcome their feedback on our progress, and we look forward to working with them to ensure that we continue to develop products that reflect strong privacy standards and practices.<br />
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We have worked hard on these new privacy controls, which are designed to improve our internal practices without getting in the way of the innovation that has powered Google since its inception. We know that there is no perfect solution, so we will continue to improve our current processes and develop new ones so that privacy awareness grows and evolves alongside Google. <br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-89310417924236430102011-05-25T21:16:00.000+02:002020-07-30T20:20:54.005+02:00Inside the Big TentAt our European Zeitgeist event, held annually near London, we traditionally erect a large marquee for a partner dinner and entertainment. This year we wondered if there was anything else we could do with the space once Zeitgeist was over. In that instant, the Big Tent was born.<br />
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Canvas aside, the term "big tent" has, of course, a political connotation. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_tent">Wikipedia</a> defines it as "seeking to attract people with diverse viewpoints...does not require adherence to some ideology as a criterion for membership." That just about sums up the idea behind last week’s Big Tent conference, which focused on debating some of the hot issues relating to the internet and society.<br />
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We invited the advocacy groups <a href="https://www.privacyinternational.org/">Privacy International</a> and <a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/">Index on Censorship</a>—both of whom have criticised Google in the past—to partner with us in staging the debates, and sought diverse viewpoints among the speakers and the delegates.<br />
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Topics on the agenda included: what was the role of technology in the revolutions in the Middle East? What are the limits of free speech online? Do we need tougher privacy laws or are we in danger of stifling innovation? Can technology and access to information be used to help prevent conflict?<br />
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The result was a stimulating day of debate featuring the likes of <i>Big Brother</i> television producer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bazalgette">Peter Bazalgette</a>, <a href="http://www.mumsnet.com/">Mumsnet</a> founder Justine Roberts and the U.K. Culture Secretary <a href="http://www.jeremyhunt.org/">Jeremy Hunt</a> alongside Googlers including Eric Schmidt, Google Ideas’ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Cohen">Jared Cohen</a> and the Egyptian activist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wael_Ghonim">Wael Ghonim</a>, and a highly engaged and knowledgeable audience of NGOs, policy advisers, tech businesses and journalists.<br />
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<embed flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2F116887554964117158278%2Falbumid%2F5610715660097392401%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCK2IoIrj44KugAE%26hl%3Den_US" height="267" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"></embed><br />
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You can watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KvtzIZSjxoe">highlights on YouTube</a> and see event feedback on <a href="http://storify.com/tim/google-big-tent">Twitter</a>. We hope to bring the Big Tent to other regions over the coming year.<br />
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<span class="byline-author">Posted by Peter Barron, Director of External Relations, EMEA</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-88456743690482383082011-05-05T13:10:00.001+02:002020-07-30T20:20:53.934+02:00Join us in fighting for freedom of expressionThree years ago, a group of companies including Google, Microsoft and Yahoo joined with non-profit organisations such as <a href="http://www.hrw.org/">Human Rights Watch</a>, investor groups such as <a href="http://www.fandc.com/portal/?reset ">F&C Investments</a>, and universities such as <a href="http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/">Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society</a> to create <a href="http://www.globalnetworkinitiative.org/index.php">the Global Network Initiative</a>. Our goal is to protect and advance freedom of expression and privacy online by setting minimum ground-rules on dealing for government requests for information.<br />
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Notably, all the initial corporate participants were American. While many Europeans expressed interest in the project, none signed up.<br />
<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OteI-_O9u70/TcKEcccLg3I/AAAAAAAABOQ/A4mcljOv0wM/s1600/Susan%2BMorgan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OteI-_O9u70/TcKEcccLg3I/AAAAAAAABOQ/A4mcljOv0wM/s200/Susan%2BMorgan.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.globalnetworkinitiative.org/staff/index.php">Susan Morgan</a>, a UK native who is the GNI’s executive director, came to Brussels this week, urging Europeans to join the organisation. <br />
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In her presentations to the European Parliament, the European Commission and the press, Ms. Morgan pointed to some recent success in attracting Europeans. This year, both the Swedish investment fund <a href="http://www.folksam.se/">Folksam</a> and the UK-based NGO <a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/about-index-on-censorship/">Index on Censorship</a> signed up. The challenge ahead, Ms. Morgan said, is to bring onboard European corporations.<br />
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Members of the GNI commit to a set of principles on how they will handle government requests to hand. The GNI has also reinforced company practices of conducting human rights assessments prior to launching new products or opening new markets. But the greatest potential for the GNI is as a forum for common action - the realisation that companies, NGOs, investors and academics acting together can have a far more powerful impact when we act in concert rather than alone. This Initiative is by no means a panacea, but it’s the kind of forum where we believe progress can be made real.<br />
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The issues of freedom of expression and privacy impact companies across the ICT sector; as recent events in the Middle East have shown, freedom of expression and privacy has become a business priority – even for organisations that are not “internet companies.”<br />
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European politicians such as Swedish Foreign Minister <a href="http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/7505/a/70395">Carl Bildt</a>, Dutch Foreign Minister <a href="http://www.minbuza.nl/en/The_Ministry/Ministers/Foreign_Affairs_Minister">Uri Rosenthal</a> and MEP <a href="http://bit.ly/kboP7y">Marietje Schaake</a> have expressed interest. Any effort that is limited to the United States is bound to fall short. Put simply, the GNI needs European organisations to help it reach its full potential. <br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by William Echikson, Head of Free Expression, Europe, Middle East and Africa</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-33002723615174095132011-05-03T10:21:00.000+02:002020-07-30T20:20:51.683+02:00Supporting free expression and privacy online: the Global Network Initiative comes to BrusselsAll over the world – from the Americas to Europe to the Middle East to Africa and Asia – companies in the communications and tech sectors face increasing government pressure to comply with domestic laws and policies in ways that may conflict with the internationally recognized human rights of freedom of expression and privacy. <br />
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In response, a <a href="http://www.globalnetworkinitiative.org/participants/">multi-stakeholder group</a> of companies, civil society organisations (including human rights and press freedom groups), investors and academics has spent two years negotiating and creating a collaborative approach to protect and advance freedom of expression and privacy in the ICT sector, and have formed <a href="http://www.globalnetworkinitiative.org/">the Global Network Initiative</a> to take this work forward.<br />
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Susan Morgan, the Global Network Initiative’s executive director, will be in Brussels on Wednesday 4 May to give an early evening briefing about the organisation’s work - and in particular, how it is seeking to attract European support and members. <br />
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Please join us at Google's office to hear Susan's briefing, find out about the important work the GNI does and enjoy a post-work drink. <br />
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<b>Date</b>: Wednesday, 4 May 2011<br />
<b>Time</b>: 18:00-19:00<br />
<b>Where</b>: Google EU office at Chaussée d'Etterbeek 180, right next to Park Leopold. That's just a 5 minute walk from the Parliament and the Commission.<br />
<b>Registration</b>: Please <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDJNVDVKNG51Zkh4THpjeUxDeUlxUkE6MA#gid=0">sign up here</a> if you’d like to attend. <br />
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<i>Prior to joining the GNI in June 2010, Susan spent ten years working at British Telecom on corporate responsibility, communications and strategic relationships. She spent the first seven years of her career in the non-profit sector, and is a graduate of Durham University, UK. <br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Angela Steen, Policy Analyst, Google Brussels</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-25202859615289460482011-03-21T11:31:00.001+01:002020-07-30T20:20:51.289+02:00Google TechTalk: Trusting the cloud<span class="post-author" style="color: red;"><i><b>UPDATE 23/03/2011: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the date of this TechTalk is changing by one day. It will now take place on Wednesday 30th March, same time, same place. Our apologies for the inconvenience to those who have already signed up, we will be contacting you shortly to re-confirm your attendance.</b></i></span><br />
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At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January of this year, Commissioner Neelie Kroes <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/11/50">stated</a> that she would like to “make Europe not just “cloud-friendly” but “cloud-active”. Being active in the cloud basically means moving every-day information, tools and processes online and the benefits of that shift are hard to deny: reduced costs, faster innovation and the convenience of accessing information virtually anytime and from anywhere. <br />
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As with any new technology shift, movement to the cloud is a subject of lively debate, in particular on the questions of data security, data governance and privacy. As a company “born in the cloud” - and one of the biggest corporate users of our own products - Google has always had a strong focus on engineering cloud services that deliver the highest possible standards of security, availability and resilience. <br />
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On March 29th, our Senior Global Trust PM, John Collins, will be in Brussels to give a Tech Talk on the theme of cloud security and privacy at Google. He’ll discuss our overall approach, and highlight some of the security features and privacy controls available to users of our cloud applications. <br />
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John has spent the past 10 years building and operating some of the world's biggest and most popular Internet services, and at Google, he leads our Enterprise's global trust effort. <br />
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<b>When</b>: Tuesday, March 29th 12.30-14.30 CET<br />
<b>Where</b>: <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Chauss%C3%A9e+d%27Etterbeek+180,+Etterbeek+1040+Etterbeek,+Brussel+Hoofdstedelijk+Gewest,+Belgium&msa=0&msid=104923978826006611722.00047a245c24b109e6a1e&ll=50.840053,4.380788&spn=0.003503,0.009645&z=17">Google Brussels</a> | Chaussée d'Etterbeek 180 | 1040 Brussels<br />
<b>Registration</b>: Please <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/google.com/viewform?formkey=dEluVGRDOFdTWnVBaEJEYlhKOWpIc1E6MA#gid=0">register here</a> <br />
<b>Need another reason to come?</b> There will be a delicious, Googley lunch (!)<br />
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<i><b>About our Tech Talks</b>: Ever wondered how exactly Google is tackling the big technology problems that the online world faces? Want to take a look behind the curtain of our engineering operations and learn from the people who actually work on the Google products and services day-in, day-out? Here's your chance: The Google Brussels TechTalks.</i> <br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by Angela Steen, Policy Analyst, Google Brussels</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-58858223094821317402011-02-25T10:12:00.001+01:002020-07-30T20:20:52.868+02:00The freedom to be who you want to be...<span class="post-author">Cross-posted from the <a href="http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2011/02/freedom-to-be-who-you-want-to-be.html">Google Public Policy Blog</a></span><br /><br />Peter Steiner’s iconic “on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog” <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet,_nobody_knows_you%27re_a_dog">cartoon</a> may have been drawn in jest - but his point was deadly serious, as recent events in the Middle East and North Africa have shown. In reality, as the web has developed - with users anywhere able to post a blog, share photos with friends and family or “broadcast” events they witness online - the issue of identity has become increasingly important.<br /><br />So we’ve been thinking about the different ways people choose to identify themselves (or not) when they’re using Google - in particular how identification can be helpful or even necessary for certain services, while optional or unnecessary for others. Attribution can be very important, but pseudonyms and anonymity are also an established part of many cultures - for good reason.<br /><br />When it comes to Google services, we support three types of use: unidentified, pseudonymous and identified. And each mode has its own particular user benefits.<br /><ul><li><b>Unidentified</b>. Sometimes you want to use the web without having your online activity tied to your identity, or even a pseudonym—for example, when you’re researching a medical condition or searching for that perfect gift for a special someone. When you’re not logged into your Google Account (or if you never signed up for one), that’s how you’ll be using our services. While we need to keep information like IP addresses and cookies to provide the service, we don’t link that information to an individual account when you are logged out.</li></ul><ul><li><b>Pseudonymous</b>. Using a pseudonym has been one of the great benefits of the Internet, because it has enabled people to express themselves freely—they may be in physical danger, looking for help, or have a condition they don’t want people to know about. People in these circumstances may need a consistent identity, but one that is not linked to their offline self. You can use pseudonyms to upload videos in YouTube or post to Blogger.</li></ul><ul><li><b>Identified</b>. There are many times you want to share information with people and have them know who you really are. Some products such as Google Checkout rely on this type of identity assurance and require that you identify yourself to use the service. There may be other times when it’s more desirable to be identified than not, for example if you want to be part of a community action project you may ask, “How do I know these other people I see online really are community members?”</li></ul>Equally as important as giving users the freedom to be who they want to be is ensuring they know exactly what mode they’re in when using Google’s services. So recently we updated the top navigation bar on many of our Google services to make this even clearer. In the upper right hand corner of these Google pages, you will see an indicator of which account, if any, you are signed into.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61HIMhRAqzQ/TWdxfRqqopI/AAAAAAAABJU/YD0lJxKRX9s/s1600/s01.png" imageanchor="1"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61HIMhRAqzQ/TWdxfRqqopI/AAAAAAAABJU/YD0lJxKRX9s/s400/s01.png" width="400" border="0" height="263" /></a></div><br />We’re also looking at other ways to make this more transparent for users. While some of our products will be better suited to just one or two of those modes, depending on what they’re designed to do, we believe all three modes have a home at Google.<br /><br /><span class="post-author">Posted by Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-19775773890494891042010-11-08T18:35:00.002+01:002020-07-30T20:20:50.998+02:00Learned lunches: the Oxford Internet Institute LecturesGame theory in advertising content and pricing; the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon">Panopticon</a> implications of the Internet as our digital memory; and bringing 30 year old guidelines on privacy into the Internet age - these topics and more are addressed by leading academics in the new series of <a href="http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk">Oxford Internet Institute</a> lectures, hosted by Google Brussels.<br />
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Established in 2001 as an academic centre for the study of the societal implications of the Internet, the Institute’s research faculty devotes its time to the study of the economical, social, political and ethical questions shaping the Internet today.<br />
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The first lecture of the autumn series was given by <a href="http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/?id=166">Dr Greg Taylor</a>, an economist whose research focuses on the microeconomics of search and other online marketplaces, and the social science implications of commercial interactions. Greg presented his <a href="http://users.ox.ac.uk/~inet0118/research.htm">study</a> of the relationship between the information content of online advertisements and the fee structure used to price them, looking at pay per-click, pay per-impression and pay per-scale. <br />
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On November 9th, we will welcome <a href="http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/?id=159">Christopher Kuner</a>, Head of the International Privacy and Information Management Practice at law firm Hunton & Williams. Christopher will discuss the Regulation of Transborder Data Flows in the framework of the OECD privacy guidelines and will debate whether the policies that form the basis of today’s privacy and data protection laws are in line with the realities of the Internet age. You can sign up for his lecture <a href="https://spreadsheets0.google.com/a/google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dG95bDRzdmFVWDRiNmcwU201QVp1Rnc6MQ#gid=0">here</a>.<br />
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On December 8th, <a href="http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/profile/graeme.dinwoodie">Graeme B. Dinwoodie</a>, Professor of Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law and Professorial Fellow of St. Peter’s College Oxford, will discuss keyword advertising and trademark law. You can sign up for his lecture <a href="https://spreadsheets5.google.com/viewform?formkey=dC1ZdjFOZEt1TGJyT0Q5N2U4ajRDWFE6MA">here</a>. <br />
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The 2011 calender will kick off on February 8th with a lecture from <a href="http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/?id=144">Christopher Millard</a>, Professor of Privacy and Information Law at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, and researcher at the <a href="http://www.cloudlegal.ccls.qmul.ac.uk/index.html">QMUL Cloud Legal Project</a>. Christopher will discuss the shift of computing intelligence to the Internet cloud and the key legal and regulatory challenges of controlling and processing data in the cloud. The registration form for his lecture is <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/google.com/viewform?hl=en&pli=1&formkey=dGJpbUh6MVVRNEl3TmFnWmVMQVI5Znc6MA#gid=0">here</a>. <br />
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If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the Oxford Internet Institute lecture series, please contact Tim Davies: tim.davies [at] oii.ox.ac.uk<br />
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<span class="post-author">Posted by: Angela Steen, Policy Analyst, Google Brussels</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37103925967026575.post-16783362897461782102010-10-22T21:00:00.000+02:002020-07-30T20:20:50.925+02:00Creating stronger privacy controls inside Google(Cross-posted from the <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/creating-stronger-privacy-controls.html">Official Google Blog</a>)<br />
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In May we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/wifi-data-collection-update.html">announced</a> that we had mistakenly collected unencrypted WiFi payload data (information sent over networks) using our Street View cars. We work hard at Google to earn your trust, and we’re acutely aware that we failed badly here. So we’ve spent the past several months looking at how to strengthen our internal privacy and security practices, as well as talking to external regulators globally about possible improvements to our policies. Here’s a summary of the changes we’re now making.<br />
<ul><li>First, <b>people</b>: we have appointed <a href="http://research.google.com/pubs/author32149.html">Alma Whitten</a> as our director of privacy across both engineering and product management. Her focus will be to ensure that we build effective privacy controls into our products and internal practices. Alma is an internationally recognized expert in the computer science field of privacy and security. She has been our engineering lead on privacy for the last two years, and we will significantly increase the number of engineers and product managers working with her in this new role.<br />
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</li><li>Second, <b>training</b>: All our employees already receive orientation training on Google’s <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/corporate/privacy_principles.html">privacy principles</a> and are required to sign Google’s <a href="http://investor.google.com/corporate/code-of-conduct.html">Code of Conduct</a>, which includes sections on privacy and the protection of user data. However, to ensure we do an even better job, we’re enhancing our core training for engineers and other important groups (such as product management and legal) with a particular focus on the responsible collection, use and handling of data. In addition, starting in December, all our employees will also be required to undertake a new information security awareness program, which will include clear guidance on both security and privacy.<br />
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</li><li>Third, <b>compliance</b>: While we’ve made important changes to our internal compliance procedures in the last few years, we need to make further changes to reflect the fact that we are now a larger company. So we’re adding a new process to our existing review system, in which every engineering project leader will be required to maintain a privacy design document for each initiative they are working on. This document will record how user data is handled and will be reviewed regularly by managers, as well as by an independent internal audit team.</li></ul>We believe these changes will significantly improve our internal practices (though no system can of course entirely eliminate human error), and we look forward to seeing the innovative new security and privacy features that Alma and her team develop. That said, we’ll be constantly on the lookout for additional improvements to our procedures as Google grows, and as we branch out into new fields of computer science.<br />
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Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to update one point in my May blog post. When I wrote it, no one inside Google had analyzed in detail the data we had mistakenly collected, so we did not know for sure what the disks contained. Since then a number of external regulators have inspected the data as part of their investigations (seven of which have now been concluded). It’s clear from those inspections that while most of the data is fragmentary, in some instances entire emails and URLs were captured, as well as passwords. We want to delete this data as soon as possible, and I would like to apologize again for the fact that we collected it in the first place. We are mortified by what happened, but confident that these changes to our processes and structure will significantly improve our internal privacy and security practices for the benefit of all our users.<br />
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<span class="byline-author">Posted by Alan Eustace, Senior VP, Engineering & Research</span>Al Verneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13334004286704606082noreply@blogger.com2