Off subject, Google books and privacy

Off subject, Google books and privacy.

By Gerald, Internet Anthropologist Think Tank

09.08.09

MY COMMENTS IN CAPS,G

Opposition to the pending “Google Books” settlement took a turn Tuesday as civil rights groups told a federal court that the plan to digitize millions of books threatens readers’ privacy.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic of the University of California claimed in a court brief that reading could be chilled from Google maintaining personal identifying information about what titles the public browses, reads and purchases.

“Google Book Search and other digital book projects will redefine the way people read and research,” said author Jonathan Lethem, a National Book Critics Circle winner, in a statement. “Now is the moment to make sure that Google book search is as private as the world of physical books. If future readers know that they are leaving a digital trail for others to follow, they may shy away from important intellectual journeys.”

IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT PRIVACY THEN GO TO THE LIBRARY, THE SERVICE IS OWNED

BY GOOGLE. BUT I REMIND YOU THE LIBRARYS ALSO COLLECT THE DATA ON WHAT YOU TAKE OUT.

Meanwhile, Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo contend Google’s plan would amount to a monopoly. Sony, the developer of a rival digital book reader of Amazon’s Kindle, supports the plan, saying it would “substantially benefit consumers.”

THEN AMAZON AND MICROSOFT AND YAHOO NEED TO START UP SOME COMPETITION, NOT

COMPLAIN ABOUT THE COMPETITION.

The privacy groups, meanwhile, are demanding that Google create “a robust privacy policy that gives readers as much privacy in online books as they have in a library or a bookstore and to ensure that the policy is enforceable and overseen by the court on an ongoing basis.”

IF YOU DON'T LIKE GOOGLES PRIVACY TOS, THEN DON'T USE IT, GOOGLE OWNS IT.

Among other things, the rights groups are asking that a court-approved warrant be required before private reading information is disclosed.

I AGREE.

SOURCE:

JEEZE IT PROVES THE SAYING "NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED".

PUTTING THE WORLD'S BOOKS ON LINE FOR EVERYONE,

( SIC ) DAMN THAT GOOGLE.

G

ANTHROPOLOGIST

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