Our Monmouth Blog

Saul Hansell got my attention yesterday with his NY Times Technology story titled “Google Fights for the Right to Hide Its Privacy Policy“.

The article starts off with a telling comparison:

What’s one way that Google is different from AOL, Yahoo and Microsoft? It’s the only one of the big Internet companies that doesn’t put a link to its privacy policy on its home page.

There also was some speculation in the article that this may be a preemptive move in advance of some advertising strategy changes to make it more competitive:

So why would Google apply to be a member? Some Internet executives wonder whether it is getting ready to start some sort of targeting system that might help its graphic ad network compete better with AOL’s more successful Advertising.com and others that do make use of information about users.

What I found most concerning is a quote by Steve Langdon, a Google spokesman:

We believe it is important for consumers to be able to easily find privacy policies and other privacy information. By simply typing ‘Google privacy policy’ into the Google search engine, consumers can easily find not only our privacy policy, but additional information about privacy.

Google why do you think this is ok? In my opinion this is just another example of blurring the rules so you can change them when it suits you too.

Google did you know that the Better Business Bureau requires all of members to Post and Adhere to a Privacy Policy?

Online advertisers should post and adhere to a privacy policy that is open, transparent, and meets generally accepted fair information principles including providing notice as to what personal information the online advertiser collects, uses, and discloses; what choices customers have with regard to the business’ collection, use and, disclosure of that information; what access customers have to the information; what security measures are taken to protect the information, and what enforcement and redress mechanisms are in place to remedy any violations of the policy. The privacy policy should be easy to find and understand and be available prior to or at the time the customer provides any personally identifiable information.

I believe that Google should be held to a higher standard, not a lesser one. What do you think?

Richard Waters of the Financial Times recently reported a dead on article about Google’s lack of follow-up on its commitment to deal with privacy issues as a result of the DoubleClick acquisition. The article titled “Google resolve crumbles on ‘cookies’ pledge” reports

The privacy issue involves “cookies”, the small digital files which online advertising companies plant on consumers’ computers to track internet sites they visit. They use the information to learn about consumers’ interests in order to target advertising.
The issue came to the fore last April with Google’s announced plan to buy DoubleClick, an internet company which delivers many of the ads consumers see online and which plants many of the cookies that sit on personal computers. The combination of Google’s records of a consumer’s internet searches with DoubleClick’s information from cookies prompted complaints that one company would hold extensive data about a large proportion of the world’s internet users.
Google fended off the outcry partly with a promise to use technology to minimise cookies’ invasiveness. It later announced technology trials to try to come up with new versions of cookies that would pose less of a problem, for instance by breaking down the data it collected about each consumer into smaller pieces through what are known as “crumbled cookies”.

Also in a Cnet report by Matt Asey on his Blog called The Open Road posted:

European regulators cut Google some slack based on its word that it was going to immediately look into ways to boost privacy. A year into that pledge, Google has done little, by its own admission.

There is no doubt in my mind that Google will soon be facing a growing public concern if it does not address the issue of privacy. The public and industry insiders have been patient with Google but it does have significant reputation risk if it does not address these issues shortly.

Google is still the golden goose of Internet as reflected in its first quarter earning report with a 9% increase in net revenue growth beating Wall Streets expectations. As Google continues to grow and expand its influence it needs to remember its self-defined mission:

“Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”.

There is no other company in the world with a more important role is the distribution of information than Google. Global information flow and privacy are a tremendous responsibility for a young company. While I am confidant that Google can overcome all of the concerns with quality solutions it becomes more difficult to do what is right when it contrasts with the right business decision.

Best wishes.

While the Internet has done incredible things for society it is not without negative consequences. People get lured into a false sense of security and anonymity on the Internet. Every time you go on the Internet you leave a trail of where you have been and where you are going. What terms are you searching for, what web sites you visit. For a marketer this is a goldmine.

Here is just one scenario. Imagine you search for the term “newborn” and visit a few sites. A few days later a packet arrives in your mailbox with coupons for diapers and formula. This is just one non-threatening example but the possibilities are endless.

I recently read an article in the New York Times titled A Company Promises the Deepest Data Mining Yet by Louise Story. The title alone made me cringe. The article goes on to say

“Amid debate over how much data companies like Google and Yahoo should gather about people who surf the Web, one new company is drawing attention — and controversy — by boasting that it will collect the most complete information of all.”
“The company, called Phorm, has created a tool that can track every single online action of a given consumer, based on data from that person’s Internet service provider. The trick for Phorm is to gain access to that data, and it is trying to negotiate deals with telephone and cable companies, like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, that provide broadband service to millions.”

If that is not bad enough in the interview the COO goes on to say with swagger

“As you browse, we’re able to categorize all of your Internet actions,” said Virasb Vahidi, the chief operating officer of Phorm. “We actually can see the entire Internet.”

The fact that I am in the Industry has left me with some serious doubts and concerns about my data. Data is such a nice term but when you boil it down it is my personal information. The companies that have this information have a responsibility to the consumer but need to answer to their shareholders and board members. Can we trust them to do the right thing and not sell our personal information?

If the past is a good predictor of the future we should all have our doubts.