Google, Facebook Asked To Cooperate With Any Government Investigations

WASHINGTON � The head of the House Judiciary Committee is asking Google Inc. and Facebook to cooperate with any government inquiries into privacy practices at both companies.

Michigan Democrat John Conyers sent letters to Google and Facebook on Friday amid mounting concern in Congress that the two online companies are not adequately protecting personal privacy on the Internet.

Facebook has come under fire for sharing user information with a handful of other online services as part of its new "instant personalization" program, which is intended to let Facebook members share their interests in everything from music to restaurants with others in their social network. The program draws information from a member's profile to customize several other sites, including the music service Pandora.

Facebook simplified its privacy controls this week in response to the backlash among users. As part of the changes, it added a tool to make it easier for members to turn off the instant personalization service.

Conyers asked Facebook on Friday to provide details about its sharing of member information with third parties and about its privacy policies. Several privacy watchdog groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, have already filed a complaint against Facebook with the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has been reviewing the privacy policies of Facebook and other social networks.

Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said the company looks forward to meeting with Conyers' staff to explain its privacy practices and policies.

Conyers stopped short of saying the Judiciary Committee will begin its own investigations into Facebook and Google.

Google recently admitted that it had sucked up fragments of e-mails, Web surfing behavior and other online activities over public Wi-Fi networks in more than 30 countries while it was photographing neighborhoods for its "Street View" mapping feature. The company said it discovered the problem following an inquiry by German regulators.

Conyers is asking Google to retain the data collected by its Street View cars along with related records until any federal and state inquiries are complete. At least two House members, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, and Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., have already asked the FTC to look into the matter and are seeking more information from Google about the incident.

Google already has hired a security consulting firm, iSEC partners, to make an encrypted copy of all the U.S. data collected by Street View to ensure the information is preserved, according to records in a federal lawsuit filed against the company in Portland, Ore. The judge overseeing that case has ordered Google to retain the data.

The FTC has yet to say whether it is investigating Google.

Comments

[they-r-us]

05:32 PM on 05/31/2010

You already sold your soul when you put your confidence in the integrity of ANOTHER American corporation. As long as you believe what the corporatacracy says, you WILL be taken advantage of. It's not a matter of if, it's when.

[monty]

02:42 PM on 05/31/2010

While Facebook thumbs their noses at privacy concerns, they are more than willing to do the bidding of a few radical religious Muslim zealots who are offended by drawings of a fictional character. Could Facebook get any more anti-American?

[frau blucher]

12:58 PM on 05/31/2010

riiight. sure they'll comply.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGwYrZLvvJU

[salomon2]

08:36 AM on 05/31/2010

These companies are trying to make money at any cost. They are great companies but they must not make people vulnerable to predators and individuals that want to use other people personal information to harm them. These companies have great tools and they should implement the best features of these tools to protect the public. http://www.digitalundivide.com

[langej]

04:57 AM on 05/31/2010

I do like congress' style: "We think this data invades the privacy of Americans, so we don't want it destroyed until we've had a good look at it."

[Antonuts]

11:53 PM on 05/30/2010

huh, the Government wants to protect our online privacy??? Since when? Somethings fishy here! Since when do they really care about our privacy? Did they all of a sudden do an about face? There's something missing to this story!

[langej]

04:31 AM on 05/31/2010

The government is not overly concerned about your privacy, but congresspeople are concerned about votes. Media stories made it seem your privacy was being invaded, so congresspeople now want to be seen as coming to your rescue. Since their interest and ours coincide here, write your representative to thank them for joining the fight to protect our privacy. (If they haven't joined yet, your letter may get them on board.)

[Felix Scott]

08:53 PM on 05/30/2010

Google is trying to digitize everything in the past and in the future. They are achieving, cataloging, and indexing all of that information which is an monumental task. I like to document things sometimes but they have taken this to a new level. Hackers or Crackers are always looking for exploits. Human error allows them to do a lot of bad things. Since this is all new to us. It has a great potential as a force for good but no doubt criminal minds will take advantage of a good thing every time.

[frau blucher]

03:10 PM on 05/31/2010

We have always been at war with Eurasia.

[socraticsarah]

08:15 PM on 05/30/2010

I recently deleted my Facebook. I'm sick of Zuckerberg's crap. I hope they are dealt serious legal issues. Google, on the other hand, is a smart company. They'll deal with their mistakes with grace and reason.

[frau blucher]

03:11 PM on 05/31/2010

You really think that, don't you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGwYrZLvvJU

[socraticsarah]

04:50 PM on 05/31/2010

Dude. That makes me love them more. That video is hysterical and honest and SO TRUE.

[zombywulf]

05:27 PM on 05/30/2010

If you have filled in any real information with these sites you will get what you paid for.
Nothing I have filled in has been true for years. and that's why i have dead drop email accounts

[realitytrumpsbull]

02:54 PM on 05/30/2010

The public response to this is somewhere between 'I dont care' and 'disconnect my internet service', depending. I think privacy and the internet is a big, big joke, the people with the degrees and the know-how can datamine across the web to their heart's content, we live in the Information Age, and if you're honestly worried about a company like Facebook, then you probably shouldn't use the web at all. Are they doing something dirtbaggish? If they are, we'll find out about it eventually, because that's another aspect of the Internet, when corporations screw up, they get their dirty laundry dragged across the airwaves, too.

[MarkMad]

05:33 PM on 05/30/2010

I do love Google but I also agree that they are the bigest ad polluter on the web. Their ads are rather irritating, you can’t help but to stumble over them everywhere online. Do they carter ad content to you? Definitely!

[kinogod]

12:25 PM on 05/30/2010

Get off the FB, you CAN do it! Leave the hive, reclaim real conversation

[dzent1]

04:13 PM on 05/30/2010

Gotta fan you! There's nothing quite like reality-based reality. Glad to see another real progressive here!

[aweissnet]

11:04 PM on 05/30/2010

But everyone has so MANY friends there.

You really gotta wonder!

[KarateKid]

09:30 PM on 05/29/2010

Watch, the schmucks that head these two companies will tell Conyers, sorry, but we have to protect our clients' private information. *snickering*

[zombywulf]

05:25 PM on 05/30/2010

unless of course you pay for it them we'll give you everything

[Deparis]

07:59 PM on 05/29/2010

You know something is fundamentally going wrong in this country when our government which is supposed to protect the people have to beg corporations to cooperate with investigation into their wrong doings.

[hypnotoad72]

09:19 PM on 05/29/2010

Deregulation and caving into corporate special interest.

[MrBwood]

10:49 AM on 05/29/2010

interesting how so much attention is brought to these two companies, at the same time looking the other way at real criminals like BP, goldman sachs the Banking industry etc.
What a waste of time.

[John Cunningham Bowler]

11:59 AM on 05/29/2010

16 comments in 12 hours versus thousands and thousands. I draw the opposite conclusion - the murderists direct our attention to safe subjects and away from risky things. So they have established this priority:

BP >> Wall Street >> Facebook >> Google >> Rupert Murdoch

And so long as the last entry sits at the bottom controlling what people think he will be fine with this.

[had-enough]

02:56 PM on 05/29/2010

X2

[hdc77494]

09:45 AM on 05/29/2010

Yes, roll over and play dead while we crucify you. I don't like Facebook privacy policies, but NO ONE even has to pay for their service, and advertising is their only source of revenue. If customers had to pay, you'd have a better argument.

[Candy Molly]

12:54 PM on 05/29/2010

I agree

[had-enough]

02:56 PM on 05/29/2010

X2

[derickma]

09:36 AM on 06/01/2010

or they can make money selling your information, I mean after you upload it they own it. but don't worry I'm sure they aren't in it for the money and the only thing they care about is your privacy