Google's Buzz social networking service, which launched as part of Gmail in February, was met with considerable controversy. The service automatically transformed users' e-mail address books into public Buzz contact lists, creating the potential for sensitive information to be exposed without user consent.The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) condemned Google's mismanagement of the service's rollout and lack of privacy safeguards. EPIC filed a complaint with the FTC, calling for the organization to review the matter. A bipartisan group of congressmen are the latest to join the chorus. In an open letter addressed to FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz, eleven members of the US House of Representatives called for an investigation of Buzz and closer scrutiny of Google's pending acquisition of mobile advertising company AdMob.
"We are writing to express our concern over claims that Google's 'Google Buzz' social networking tool breaches online consumer privacy and trust. Due to the high number of individuals whose online privacy is affected by tools like this—either directly or indirectly—we feel that these claims warrant the Commission's review of Google's public disclosure of personal information of consumers through Google Buzz," the letter says. "We hope to be of assistance to you in finding constructive solutions to fill in the gaps that leave our online privacy vulnerable to unsolicited intrusion."
The letter specifically highlights the contact list disclosure issue, but also raises questions about the implications of Google's advertising practices. The letter asks the FTC to determine if Google's acquisition of AdMob—and the resulting reduction in mobile advertising competition—will reduce incentives for the company to protect consumer privacy.
Google took swift action to correct Buzz's privacy problems shortly after the controversy erupted. The automatic contact-following behavior was replaced with a system that recommends people to follow. The service's underlying functionality was also made more transparent and the mechanisms for disabling the service were improved.
Although these changes have been broadly lauded as a step in the right direction, critics believe that Google needs to go further and make the service itself an opt-in offering. The forceful rollout of the service, and Google's move to inject it into Gmail as an unsolicited addition, are cited by EPIC and other privacy advocates as a serious breach of user trust.
This view is shared by outgoing FTC Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour, who criticized Google in a recent panel about Internet privacy. In Harbour's opinion, Google's "irresponsible" launch of Buzz is representative of the broader privacy and security issues that society faces with the emergence of cloud computing. She fears that questionable privacy practices will escalate if steps aren't taken now on behalf of consumers. "Consumer privacy cannot be run in beta," she reportedly said.
As Google expands its reach into more corners of daily life, the company will face more stringent scrutiny. The Buzz privacy blunder, and the concerns that it has raised, have clearly penetrated the awareness of lawmakers and the policy community.
Source: Arstechnica.com
