Never thought I'd say this but (about the Google Buzz Settlement)

[vonFiedler]

Google rarely contacts Gmail users via email, but we are making an exception to let you know that we've reached a settlement in a lawsuit regarding Google Buzz (http://buzz.google.com), a service we launched within Gmail in February of this year.

Shortly after its launch, we heard from a number of people who were concerned about privacy. In addition, we were sued by a group of Buzz users and recently reached a settlement in this case.

The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address users' concerns. In addition, Google has committed $8.5 million to an independent fund, most of which will support organizations promoting privacy education and policy on the web. We will also do more to educate people about privacy controls specific to Buzz. The more people know about privacy online, the better their online experience will be.

Just to be clear, this is not a settlement in which people who use Gmail can file to receive compensation. Everyone in the U.S. who uses Gmail is included in the settlement, unless you personally decide to opt out before December 6, 2010. The Court will consider final approval of the agreement on January 31, 2011. This email is a summary of the settlement, and more detailed information and instructions approved by the court, including instructions about how to opt out, object, or comment, are available at http://www.BuzzClassAction.com.

Fuck you Google.

Fuck you right up the ass.

Donate 8.5 million dollars to organizations to teach US how to keep our internet private?

 

[MrIndigo]

I don't get it. I didn't get such an email.

 

[Xav]

Neither. Oh well.

 

[Firestorm]

I'm not understanding the outrage here. Could you explain?

 

[Seven Deadly Sins]

Basically, instead of taking actions to make their shitty privacy-infringing product more secure, they decide it's the user's fault for accidentally not realizing that Google was going to fling their information all over the place with Google Buzz.

It's an attempt to shift responsibility away from them and onto "people that just don't know how to protect their privacy". Google's absolutely refusing to even acknowledge the fact that they actually did something wrong, and doing it in such a condescending manner.

I'm disappointed in Google.

 

[whistle]

The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address users' concerns. In addition, Google has committed $8.5 million to an independent fund, most of which will support organizations promoting privacy education and policy on the web.

emphasis mine

there are tons of people who use the internet who don't have the slightest clue about how to protect their privacy. giving money to the independent fund is a way to help these people avoid privacy issues external to any steps google took to resolve the specific issue with buzz. seeing people getting upset over this is like seeing a teacher get pissed at a student for doing extra credit work.

Since the inception of this litigation, Google has also made changes to Google Buzz that clarify its operation and users' options, including, in particular, changes regarding user information and control over Buzz's privacy settings.

maybe I am missing something, though, since I haven't been following this issue until now.

 

[Objection]

Donate 8.5 million dollars to organizations to teach US how to keep our internet private?

Money well spent. If something's worth keeping private, it's worth learning how to keep private.

 

[vonFiedler]

It doesn't matter whether those organizations are useful by themselves or not. What matters is that they really aught to be teaching google about internet privacy. Google were the ones who leaked personal information without asking or giving prior notice. Google has found a way to both throw away "repentance money" and be as condescending as possible at the same time.

And even then they've made it so that ever Gmail user is included in this settlement by default, in spite of the fact that it won't directly compensate anyone who was injured by this debacle. If you don't send in saying that you exclude yourself from this settlement, you can't be a party to any settlement made in the future.

 

[WaterBomb]

I think you guys are taking it way too personally. Is your life really changed by this? Is it really worth getting upset and ranting over? Go have a beer and chill out, it's not the end of the world.

 

[cim]

Basically, instead of taking actions to make their shitty privacy-infringing product more secure

They did this within a few days of Buzz's launch.

 

[Surgo]

Here's hoping the EFF and EPIC get some money.