Is Facebook Or Google The Lesser Of Two Evils?
Google made recent headlines when they announced that while cruising around different neighborhoods to collect photographs for Street View, they had inadvertently collected private information from various Wi-Fi networks that were unencrypted. Like their previous step into hot water with privacy advocates when they published a bit too much Buzz information, Google was quick to respond to questions raised by the data protection authority in Hamburg, Germany.
After finding that in their quest to provide better location based services they had actually captured, and stored, payload data from various WiFi networks. Payload data is the actual packets of information that is being sent across a network. Data like credit card numbers, online orders, emails, and just about anything else that travels across a wireless network.
As it turns out, back in 2007 a piece of code written for an experimental WiFi project was included in the software used by the Street View cars. So for three years, Google had been, assumingly, unknowingly collecting payload data from unsecured networks.
Response
So they weren’t so quick to realize their privacy gaffe. After all, it took them three years to realize that they were spying on people. In their defense, however, Google did immediately take steps to rectify the situation. Thus far they have:
- Requested a code review for the software in question to be completed by a third party
- Request that the same third party confirm that any data collected inadvertently is deleted
- Complete an internal review of their procedures to avoid similar problems in the future
- Stopped the Street View cars from collecting WiFi network data altogether
Basically what Google did can be equated to a nosy friend peeking at your bank statement that you left out on the dining room table in plain view. Sure the case can be made that you were stupid for leaving it out in plain view, but all the same, it’s your house (network) and your private stuff. Shame on your friend for poking around even if that was not their intention.
The Facebook Comparison
So I have been picking on Facebook recently. But as a result of all the pressure that the blogosphere and other negative press Facebook decided to discuss how users’ private information is handled by the company.
But there are distinct differences in what Facebook has done over the years and Google’s recent mistake. Google is in the awkward position of getting caught peeping. Although the case can be made that payload data can be used in location based advertising, Google has claimed that this is not what they were after. Although there have been past incidents, the public is often quick to forgive Google. They aren’t arrogant about their mistakes and their philanthropic work helps support their “Do no evil” claim. They give us an “Aw shucks” and we forgive.
Facebook, on the other hand, drops the privacy ball in an entirely different way. They are the neighbor who goes through your trash and finds out every bit of juicy gossip they can. With this information in hand they turn to fellow neighbors spreading their treasures around hoping for something in return. When confronted, they are full of excuses but next trash day there they are, rooting around for something even better.
Yet, whether we buy Google’s claims of innocence or we admonish Facebook’s arrogance, we will return to both because lack of privacy is what we have come to expect in this day and age.
