Privacy

Google Buzz class action.

·          This was initiated by a Gmail user on behalf of all Gmail users in the USA in response to the allegation that Google automatically enrolled Gmail users in Buzz, and that Buzz publicly exposed data, including users’ most frequent Gmail contacts, without enough user consent.

·          The Garden City Group, Inc, ‘Google Buzz User Privacy Litigation’ (2010) BuzzClassAction.com <http://www.buzzclassaction.com/> at 9 November 2010.

Facebook privacy settings and online safety

·          Stephen Fenech and Alex Dickinson, 'Facebook warns users to show 'extreme care' making contact with people as police want users to pull photos from site' (18 May 2010) The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) <http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/police-warn-australians-to-pull-photos-from-facebook-after-teen-allegedly-killed-by-friend/story-e6freuy9-1225868199558> at 8 November 2010.

This story is about a Sydney teenager who was killed after a stranger, who could see her Facebook “likes”, opened a fake profile and befriended her. The victim loved animals, and was undertaking a TAFE course in animal studies. The accused offered her work experience with the NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service, and arranged to meet her at Leumeah Railway Station. Subsequently, when she hadn't returned home as planned, and Mr Dannevig (the accused) was found not to be employed by WIRES, the victim's family contacted police. Her body was found near Waminda Reserve on Friday the 14^th of May, 2010.

·          See also Alicia Wood and Rachel Browne, 'Facebook teen killed' (16 May 2010) Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney), <http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/facebook-teen-killed-20100515-v5da.html> at 11 November 2010.

·          This tragedy occurred just after the time that Facebook launched new privacy settings, which may have meant that all users (including the victim) had to again opt-in to more private settings: See Matt McKeon's diagram of the evolution of Facebook privacy settings on the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre website, with special attention to the date of the latest settings (April 2010): <http://mattmckeon.com/facebook-privacy/>

Behavioural marketing – cookie sellers e.g BlueKai

o     Nicky Phillips, ‘Inside the cookie monster – trading your online data for profits’, Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney), 5 October 2010 <http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/inside-the-cookie-monster--trading-your-online-data-for-profits-20101004-164ee.html> at 9 November 2010.

o     Editorial, ‘Taming the cookie monsters’, Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney), 6 October 2010 <http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/editorial/taming-the-cookie-monsters-20101005-165zp.html?skin=text-only> at 9 November 2010.

o     Robert Wright, ‘Privacy vs. Profits’, Opinionator, The New York Times (New York), 19 October 2010 <http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/privacy-vs-profits/?emc=eta1> at 9 November 2010.

This is an opinion column from a New York Times blogger about online profiling and marketing. Companies like Google ‘play God’ by using your (browsing) history (recorded with cookies) to precisely target ads to you on other sites as you browse the web. This method is far more effective than the traditional advertising method of ‘demographic profiling’ which is targeting ads at a very wide, generalised demographic (for example, New York Times readers who are supposedly wealthy, educated and live in New York). The ads that a person sees are effectively a reflection of their browsing history and thus their personal preferences. This has privacy implications (see question below).

o     Nicky Phillips, ‘Profiling children proves kids’ stuff for advertisers’ Sydney Morning Herald, 5 October 2010 <http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/profiling-children-proves-kids-stuff-for-advertisers-20101004-164er.html> at 9 November 2010.

o     Julian Lee, ‘Web users under the behavioural microscope’ The Big Chair, 20 April 2009 <http://thebigchair.com.au/news/insight/web-users-under-the-behavioural-microscope> at 9 November 2010.

o     Stephanie Clifford, ‘Instant Ads Set the Pace on the Web’ The New York Times, 11 March 2010 <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/business/media/12adco.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=business&adxnnlx=1289264406-pqoZWzCezeMVEMMlLZtecA> at 9 November 2010.

§   QUESTION: what if behavioural marketing extended beyond web browsing, and electronic billboard space in the street was auctioned off second by second, as keywords are by Google AdWords? If viewers were identified according to, say, their GPS coordinates transmitted by their smartphone (which correspond with an IP address and thus browsing history) or even their MAC address when in range of wireless hotspots, and had electronic billboard ads targeted to them as they drive past?

Minority Report: biometric ID + profiling = shops that know you;

·          Revocation = eye transplants