I sincerely wish I could just ignore Privacy Policies and ‘Terms of Use’ pages.

I really, truly do. It would make life so much simpler and would ease anxiety levels tremendously!

Perhaps the fact that they need to have a privacy policy in the first place is a bit unnerving.

I understand that sites need the privacy policy so they can exist because everyone is worried about what is going to happen to/with their information – and with good reason!

Does Privacy Matter?

It seems everyone wants a piece of us. Well, truthfully they really ONLY want a piece of our pay envelope, us they couldn’t care less about. It’s just that we, unfortunately stand between our pay packet and those greedily sucking it dry.

I wish I could find the Privacy Policy of a company I read a few years ago in which they declared, (I loved it!), TRUTHFULLY:

“We will do anything we want with any information you choose to share with us or that we gather from your computer during your visit. We do not intentionally infiltrate your computer, but what we find we will use in accordance with our policy outlined above. If you don’t like this, tough. Go away.”

I mean, sure, it’s blunt and would scare me away, but, it’s TRUTHFUL, unlike most of the policies which are mired in legalese and ambiguous statements.

But, when you hit statements, like the one below, from Google’s Privacy/Terms of Use Policies, you know there is no such thing as internet privacy.

“Google Play”: Special legal privacy protections for users may apply in cases where law enforcement or civil litigants ask Google for information about what books an individual user has looked at.

Yes, they have ‘special legal privacy protection’, but between you, me and the judge; they protect Google NOT us…

And, yup, they (Google+) store the last five pages of any book you read, as well as a complete collection of everything you’ve read or purchased. (I noticed they also collected information from ANOTHER website, not associated with Google+, I was logged in to, and recorded what I’d read THERE. Just thought you might find THAT interesting…) Not sure which part of the “Special Legal Privacy Protection” rule they invoked for that, but until they recorded it there was no issue…

This recording of our reading habits will help law enforcement, HOW? (Well, all right, if you are accused of blowing up a building and the last book you read was ‘How to Build a Better Bomb’? I can see the relevance, but I don’t see why Google should need to store that; re-creation Forensic Scientists can (easily) de-construct the computer and see what I last read without Google feeling the need to pretend it’s because of Law Enforcement, or so my account can be synchronised.)

BUT, it’s this statement below that makes my blood boil (and should ‘tick-off’ everyone).

“Add-ons developed and provided by Google may communicate with Google servers and are subject to the Google Privacy Policy unless otherwise indicated. Add-ons developed and provided by third parties are the responsibility of such third parties and may be subject to third party privacy policies. For example, a version of the Adobe Flash Player plug-in is preinstalled with Chrome. Adobe’s website at http://www.adobe.com provides more information on Adobe’s privacy practices with regard to Flash Player, and you can learn more about disabling Flash Player or any other plug-ins.”

So, Google installs this program during PRE-installation of a product and they (GOOGLE) are NOT responsible for their (in this case ADOBE’s) privacy policy???

You give me a ‘freebie’ I don’t ask for and tell me my computer experience will not be as enriching if I choose NOT to use it and yet don’t GUARANTEE the product is safe; DON’T guarantee it’s conducting itself in a way that is inline with your policies; and suggest I ‘check out their policy’ before using the product???

If a product comes PRE-INSTALLED WITH ANOTHER ONE, I DON’T CARE IF IT IS FROM A THIRD PARTY – YOU BETTER BE DAMN SURE YOU GUARANTEE THE PRODUCT FULLY!!! IF YOU DON’T TRUST IT, WHY THE HELL SHOULD I???

Sorry for yelling (and swearing) but I’m hoping program developers (particularly Google’s) are listening.

I know they are not and don’t care about my concerns – heck, if you want to be private, don’t use the internet, right??? Such a cop out.

They don’t want to create programs that don’t let NSA, CSIS, SIS (or MI5), keep careful tabs on us so they dress it up under the disguise of “personalised ads”. (PO Personal Opinion.) At least I am still ahead of them on that and have not seen a single ad that even ‘kinda’ interests me…

I must be doing something wrong…

Human Element

Or they’ve already got enough cookies and markers stuffed in my computer to track me any and everywhere. I’m thinking this is probably the correct response. (PO)

Have fun and say “hi” to the authorities as you pass them lurking along the information highway greedily misdirecting traffic; tell them I say ‘hi’, too… ‘cause I’m not speaking to them!

What policies have you come across that make you scratch your head and say, “What’s the point? Here’s my first born, blood-type, DNA sample and link to everything I MIGHT EVER ‘like’…”

~khrys…

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LINKS:

• Google Chrome Privacy
• GoogleBooks Privacy
• Quitting MS Forever
• MS E-Mail Snoop
• FBI Pays
• NSA – NOT Bulk
• One Hundred Percent of NON-US Calls
• How to Screw Them Back
• Does Privacy Matter? (Photo1 Credit)
• ALC, Information Security Training Courses (Photo2 Credit)

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