Google auf dem letzten Platz in Datenschutzbericht

In einem Vergleich der Datenschutzpraxis führender Internetfirmen belegt Google den letzten Platz und wird als einzige von 23 Firmen als „datenschutzfeindlich“ eingestuft. Der von der englischen Organisation Privacy International (PI) erstellte Bericht (pdf) wurde am 9.6. veröffentlicht und soll bereits starke Reaktionen von Googles Seite hervorgerufen haben. So wurde PI angeblich zu Last gelegt, dass ein Mitarbeiter Verbindungen zu Microsoft hat und sich der Bericht daher zu einseitig auf Google konzentriere. In einem offenen Brief an Google widerspricht PI diesen Anschuldigungen.

Die Kritik an Googles Datenschutzpraxis umfasst im Einzelnen:

• Google account holders that regularly use even a few of Google’s services must accept that the company retains a large quantity of information about that user, often for an unstated or indefinite length of time, without clear limitation on subsequent use or disclosure, and without an opportunity to delete or withdraw personal data even if the user wishes to terminate the service.
• Google maintains records of all search strings and the associated IP-addresses and time stamps for at least 18 to 24 months and does not provide users with an expungement option. While it is true that many US based companies have not yet established a time frame for retention, there is a prevailing view amongst privacy experts that 18 to 24 months is unacceptable, and possibly unlawful in many parts of the world.
• Google has access to additional personal information, including hobbies, employment, address, and phone number, contained within user profiles in Orkut. Google often maintains these records even after a user has deleted his profile or removed information from Orkut.
• Google collects all search results entered through Google Toolbar and identifies all Google Toolbar users with a unique cookie that allows Google to track the user’s web movement. Google does not indicate how long the information collected through Google Toolbar is retained, nor does it offer users a data expungement option in connection with the service.
• Google fails to follow generally accepted privacy practices such as the OECD Privacy Guidelines and elements of EU data protection law. As detailed in the EPIC complaint, Google also fails to adopted additional privacy provisions with respect to specific Google services.
  Google logs search queries in a manner that makes them personally identifiable but fails to provide users with the ability to edit or otherwise expunge records of their previous searches.
• Google fails to give users access to log information generated through their interaction with Google Maps, Google Video, Google Talk, Google Reader, Blogger and other services.

Interessant ist aber auch, dass keine der anderen Firmen in dem Bericht besonders gut wegkommt. Die Datenschutzsituation insgesamt wird als „erschreckend“ beschrieben und im Fazit findet sich eine recht düstere Einschätzung der gegenwärtigen Entwicklungen im Netz:

The current frenzy to “capture” ad space revenue through the exploitation of new technologies and tools will result in one of the greatest privacy challenges in recent decades. The Internet appears to be shifting as a whole toward this aim, and the opportunity to create market differentiators based on responsible privacy may diminish unless those avenues are explored immediately.

Technorati Tags: Google, Privacy International, Datenschutz, Surveillance, data protection, EPIC