FTC urged to probe Google's Safari-tracking gaffe

Google is once again under fire after a Stanford researcher discovered that the search giant and other advertising outfits have circumnavigated the privacy settings of millions of Apple Safari users. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google, Vibrant Media Inc, WPP PLC's Media Innovation Group LLC and Gannett Co.'s …

[James O'Brien]

Excuse me?

"Windows Internet Explorer is the browser that respects your privacy. Through unique built in features like Tracking Protection and other privacy features in IE9, you are in control of who is tracking your actions online. Not Google. Not advertisers. Just you."

.....Bullshit

[melt]

Re: Excuse me?

...you'll have fun trying to replace Safari with IE9 on a Mac too.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Excuse me?

"Windows Internet Explorer is the browser that respects your privacy. Through unique built in features like Tracking Protection and other privacy features in IE9, you are in control of who is tracking your actions online. Not Google. Not advertisers. Just you."

.....Bullshit"

Proof?

[Fred Flintstone]

Re: Proof

The actual statement is meaningless without version qualifier (which they place much later in the text - old trick).

The MS statement is accurate when complete with version number, IE9 is actually reasonable.

Any version before isn't, though, which makes the way it's phrased at best dubious. But it still won't get me installing IE on OSX or Linux..

[Daniel 4]

Re: Re: Excuse me?

"Proof?"

Will a Microsoft press release work?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/02/20/microsoft_google_p3p_flaw/

[Greg J Preece]

"Windows Internet Explorer is the browser that respects your privacy."

Windows 8, on the other hand...

(Seriously, if you install Win8, for god's sake hit "customise" and uncheck the million "send your data to us" options.)

[JaitcH]

The problem with InterNet connections where down capacity is higher than up capacity is ...

that given the amount of back chat between software and other surreptitious communications on the up channel there is hardly enough spare capacity for user related transmissions.

Put a Network Analyser on an InterNet connection, with all connected computers idling, the amount of 'app chat' is amazing.

Time to reclaim our privacy!

[Eddie Johnson]

Re: The problem with InterNet connections where down capacity is higher than up capacity is ...

That's what a nice software firewall is good for. It is unsettling when you see the icon constantly turning red in the tray from all the blocked traffic though.

[Owen Carter]

Meanwhile, somewhere at your local phone exchange

While we are all doing 'My Fanboi Favorite is less evil than yours.. no.. really.. and here is why..' discussion ad-nauseum, and it is dominating the 'privacy' news: The usual suspects have resurrected the Communications Capabilities Development Programme, and want to push it through before the Olympics.

Total surveillance at source and recording in a database of all packet header data transmitted by every UK citizen; all in one database and accessible without any judicial oversight by the UK state. Bad people doing bad things find trivial distractions very, very useful huh.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Meanwhile, somewhere at your local phone exchange

So .gov sees your packet headers, what's the big problem?

I'm still more worried over companies tracking our activity, after we tell them not to, all in the name of profit.

[Owen Carter]

Re: Re: Meanwhile, somewhere at your local phone exchange

"I'm still more worried over companies tracking our activity."

..Yes, I think this proves my point quite nicely. Amazing what can be achieved with a sufficient amount of distraction.

[Ian Michael Gumby]

Its interesting...

Some people don't mind corporations tracking us even after we tell them to piss off, yet at the same time, condemn government agencies for doing far less.

Google is evil.

No wonder Schmidt is cashing out. ;-)

(Ok, that was a cheap shot!)

[Anonymous Coward]

Always with the excuses for Google. 'It's a developer's fault', 'It's a bug', 'It's someone else's fault', 'Oh my gosh we've been naughty? Really? Never!'.

If I was a proctologist I'd be able to provide a complete genetic breakdown of the bullshit eminating from Google. But I am not. However, if it smells like shit then it probably is shit - and Google kinda stinks on this front.

Show me anyone who actually believes all the excuses coming from Google over the last few years and I'll show you a f***ing moron.

[Ian Michael Gumby]

"Show me anyone who actually believes all the excuses coming from Google over the last few years and I'll show you a f***ing moron."

They are called politicians who have taken money from the Google lobbyists.

Remember its an election year!

[Mikel]

FTC encouraged to look into Google

It's not like they don't get that request several times a week. Seems like there's an organized campaign to harass Google going on. Now who could be behind that?

[Old n Cynical]

"Seems like there's an organized campaign to harass Google going on"

Yeah, like there was an organised campaign to harass Al Capone. Seriously?

[cybervigilante]

More of Steve's Revenge

I bet those three congressbums were SOPA supporters since Google fought SOPA (while Apple. Twitter and Facebook hid out) This is all Steve's Revenge on Google, which he talked about before he kicked the bucket.

[cybervigilante]

Steve's Revenge

Apple's new slogan is "Litigate, don't Innovate," and get your friends in government to take Steve's Revenge.

[Mako]

"mischaraterised"

If that's how they typed it, you might want to put [sic] after it. If that's *not* how they typed it, you might want to remove the quotes.

[Little Poppet]

Google: Whiter than White

From a lot of comments on this site, it's obvious that Google has no blame and everyone else is at fault no matter what...