[e-privacy] [soros at other-net.info: Google proposes global privacy standard]

Sun Sep 16 23:08:05 CEST 2007

----- Forwarded message from Other News - Roberto Savio <soros at other-net.info> -----

Subject: Google proposes global privacy standard
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:26:25 +0100
From: Other News - Roberto Savio <soros at other-net.info>
Reply-to: othernet at ips.org
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  Google proposes global privacy standard

  By Elinor Mills

  Story last modified Fri Sep 14 07:30:41 PDT 2007

   While Google is leading a charge to create a global privacy standard for
   how companies protect consumer data, the search giant is recommending that
   remedies focus on whether a person was actually harmed by having the
   information exposed.

   Google's proposal is scheduled to be presented by [1]Peter Fleischer,
   Google's global privacy counsel, in a speech Friday in Strasbourg, France,
   at Unesco's meeting on ethics and human rights. He briefed reporters on
   Thursday.

   The proposal follows the [2]Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
   Privacy Framework, which has been endorsed by many of the APEC nations,
   including Australia and Hong Kong, but not all. China, for instance, does
   not endorse it, Fleischer said.

   "Google believes we need to work together to create minimum global
   standards, partly by law and partly by self-regulation," Fleischer said in
   a telephone conference call. "We need a collaboration between government
   and the private sector."

   The APEC framework "promotes a flexible approach to information privacy
   protection" and is a "practical policy approach to enable accountability
   in the flow of data while preventing impediments to trade," according to
   the group's fact sheet. The nine principles of the framework are:
   preventing harm; integrity of personal information; notice; security
   safeguards; collection limitations; access and correction; uses of
   personal information; accountability; and choice.

   Under a "preventing harm" principle in the framework, "any remedial
   measures should be proportionate to the likelihood and severity of the
   harm," the documents state.

   "Privacy standards should focus on actual harms to consumer privacy,"
   Fleischer said. "Other countries have an ideological bent...APEC has a
   pragmatic focus on privacy harms...not abstractions."

   Fleischer has been shopping the idea around, meeting with the Spanish Data
   Protection Authority a few days ago ("He welcomed it warmly") and the
   French counterpart, which endorsed it.

   Deflecting DoubleClick criticism?
   However, a privacy advocate dismissed the move as a desperate attempt by
   Google to appear to be sensitive to privacy issues amid government
   scrutiny of its proposed [3]$3.1 billion acquisition of online-ad firm
   DoubleClick.

   [4]Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy
   Information Center, called the APEC Privacy Framework "backward looking"
   and said it "is the weakest international framework for privacy
   protection, far below what the Europeans require or what is allowed for
   trans-Atlantic transfers between Europe and the U.S.," particularly
   because it focuses on the need to show harm to the consumer. The
   guidelines were developed before there was data collected on the cost to
   consumers of identity theft and security breaches, he said.

   "Google is under enormous pressure from many countries around the world
   who are fed up with their arrogance and their unwillingness to make
   meaningful changes to their business practices," Rotenberg said. "They're
   also trying desperately to push the acquisition of DoubleClick through the
   Federal Trade Commission. And they've met enormous resistance."

   Fleischer denied that the proposed DoubleClick merger had anything to do
   with Google's actions.

   "(This is) a sustained multipronged effort by Google to improve privacy
   practices...across the Internet," he said in his briefing. "People expect
   us to show some leadership. We would do this, regardless of whether
   DoubleClick were part of the equation."

   Google will take its message to the public through a virtual debate it
   plans to open on YouTube soon, and it will participate in meetings in
   Montreal on September 24 with global privacy commissioners and in
   Washington, D.C. in October, Fleischer said.

   Also, Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt "will add his voice to this
   debate" in the next few days, Fleischer said, declining to elaborate.

   Now on News.com
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   (entirely) legal [7]Extra: Harmonix's punk-rock design process

   Google has been speaking with Microsoft and Yahoo about the matter, and
   representatives from those companies expressed interest in the effort,
   Fleischer said.

   A Microsoft representative said Google has not discussed its specific
   proposal with Microsoft but that Microsoft has been working with APEC
   countries on the privacy framework for a few years.

   A Yahoo representative provided this statement when asked for comment:
   "Yahoo is dedicated to protecting the privacy of our users. It is a
   cornerstone of the trusted relationship that we have built with consumers.
   We are involved in a number of discussions, internally, and with others in
   the industry about the best methods for protecting consumer privacy. Those
   important conversations will continue in the months ahead."

   Fleischer said he was invited to address Unesco at its meeting, which is
   focused on ethics in the information society, by the French Data
   Protection Authority. "We were looking for the right forum to launch this
   (effort) publicly," he said.

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