<s>
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
changes	O
to	O
its	O
privacy	O
policy	O
on	O
March	O
16	O
,	O
2012	O
enabled	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
share	O
data	O
across	O
a	O
wide	O
variety	O
of	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
embedded	O
services	O
include	O
millions	O
of	O
third-party	O
websites	O
that	O
use	O
AdSense	O
and	O
Analytics	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
December	O
2009	O
,	O
after	O
privacy	O
concerns	O
were	O
raised	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
CEO	O
Eric	O
Schmidt	O
declared	O
:	O
"	O
If	O
you	O
have	O
something	O
that	O
you	O
do	O
n't	O
want	O
anyone	O
to	O
know	O
,	O
maybe	O
you	O
should	O
n't	O
be	O
doing	O
it	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
place	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
you	O
really	O
need	O
that	O
kind	O
of	O
privacy	O
,	O
the	O
reality	O
is	O
that	O
search	B-Application
engines	I-Application
—	O
including	O
Google	B-Application
—	O
do	O
retain	O
this	O
information	O
for	O
some	O
time	O
and	O
it	O
's	O
important	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
that	O
we	O
are	O
all	O
subject	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
to	O
the	O
Patriot	O
Act	O
and	O
it	O
is	O
possible	O
that	O
all	O
that	O
information	O
could	O
be	O
made	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
authorities.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Privacy	O
International	O
has	O
raised	O
concerns	O
regarding	O
the	O
dangers	O
and	O
privacy	O
implications	O
of	O
having	O
a	O
centrally	O
located	O
,	O
widely	O
popular	O
data	O
warehouse	O
of	O
millions	O
of	O
Internet	O
users	O
 '	O
searches	O
,	O
and	O
how	O
under	O
controversial	O
existing	O
U.S.	O
law	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
can	O
be	O
forced	O
to	O
hand	O
over	O
all	O
such	O
information	O
to	O
the	O
U.S.	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
2007	O
Consultation	O
Report	O
,	O
Privacy	O
International	O
ranked	O
Google	B-Application
as	O
"	O
Hostile	O
to	O
Privacy	O
"	O
,	O
its	O
lowest	O
rating	O
on	O
their	O
report	O
,	O
making	O
Google	B-Application
the	O
only	O
company	O
in	O
the	O
list	O
to	O
receive	O
that	O
ranking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
2016	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
quietly	O
dropped	O
its	O
ban	O
on	O
personally-identifiable	O
info	O
in	O
its	O
DoubleClick	O
ad	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
privacy	O
policy	O
was	O
changed	O
to	O
state	O
it	O
"	O
may	O
"	O
combine	O
web-browsing	O
records	O
obtained	O
through	O
DoubleClick	O
with	O
what	O
the	O
company	O
learns	O
from	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
other	O
Google	B-Application
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
new	O
users	O
were	O
automatically	O
opted-in	O
,	O
existing	O
users	O
were	O
asked	O
if	O
they	O
wanted	O
to	O
opt-in	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
remains	O
possible	O
to	O
opt-out	O
by	O
going	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
Activity	O
controls	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
My	O
Account	O
"	O
page	O
of	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ProPublica	O
states	O
that	O
"	O
The	O
practical	O
result	O
of	O
the	O
change	O
is	O
that	O
the	O
DoubleClick	O
ads	O
that	O
follow	O
people	O
around	O
on	O
the	O
web	O
may	O
now	O
be	O
customized	O
to	O
them	O
based	O
on	O
your	O
name	O
and	O
other	O
information	O
Google	B-Application
knows	O
about	O
you	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
means	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
could	O
now	O
,	O
if	O
it	O
wished	O
to	O
,	O
build	O
a	O
complete	O
portrait	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
by	O
name	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
everything	O
they	O
write	O
in	O
email	O
,	O
every	O
website	O
they	O
visit	O
and	O
the	O
searches	O
they	O
conduct.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
contacted	O
ProPublica	O
to	O
correct	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
it	O
does	O
n't	O
"	O
currently	O
"	O
use	O
Gmail	B-Application
keywords	O
to	O
target	O
web	O
ads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shona	O
Ghosh	O
,	O
a	O
journalist	O
for	O
Business	O
Insider	O
,	O
noted	O
that	O
an	O
increasing	O
digital	O
resistance	O
movement	O
against	O
Google	B-Application
has	O
grown	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
major	O
hub	O
for	O
critics	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
organize	O
to	O
abstain	O
from	O
using	O
Google	B-Application
products	O
is	O
the	O
Reddit	B-Application
page	O
for	O
the	O
subreddit	O
r/degoogle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
EFF	O
,	O
the	O
Federal	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
has	O
ignored	O
complaints	O
from	O
the	O
public	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
has	O
been	O
harvesting	O
student	O
data	O
and	O
search	B-Application
results	I-Application
even	O
after	O
holding	O
talks	O
with	O
the	O
Department	O
of	O
Education	O
in	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
blocks	O
W3C	O
privacy	O
proposals	O
using	O
their	O
veto	O
power	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
10	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
reported	O
that	O
a	O
bug	O
in	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	O
had	O
allowed	O
unintended	O
access	O
to	O
some	O
private	O
documents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
stated	O
the	O
bug	O
has	O
now	O
been	O
fixed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
places	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
cookies	B-Application
on	O
each	O
user	O
's	O
computer	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
track	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
web	O
browsing	O
on	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
unrelated	O
websites	O
and	O
track	O
their	O
search	O
history	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
a	O
user	O
is	O
logged	O
into	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
service	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
also	O
uses	O
the	O
cookies	B-Application
to	O
record	O
which	O
Google	B-Application
Account	O
is	O
accessing	O
each	O
website	O
and	O
doing	O
each	O
search	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
the	O
cookie	B-Application
did	O
not	O
expire	O
until	O
2038	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
could	O
be	O
manually	O
deleted	O
by	O
the	O
user	O
or	O
refused	O
by	O
setting	O
a	O
browser	O
preference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2007	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
cookie	B-Application
expired	O
in	O
two	O
years	O
,	O
but	O
renewed	O
itself	O
whenever	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
service	O
is	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2011	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
said	O
that	O
it	O
anonymizes	O
the	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
data	O
that	O
it	O
collects	O
,	O
after	O
nine	O
months	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
association	O
between	O
cookies	B-Application
and	O
web	O
accesses	O
after	O
18	O
months	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2016	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
privacy	O
policy	O
does	O
not	O
promise	O
anything	O
about	O
whether	O
or	O
when	O
its	O
records	O
about	O
the	O
users	O
 '	O
web	O
browsing	O
or	O
searching	O
are	O
deleted	O
from	O
its	O
records	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
non-profit	O
group	O
Public	O
Information	O
Research	O
launched	O
Google	B-Application
Watch	O
,	O
a	O
website	O
advertised	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
look	O
at	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
monopoly	O
,	O
algorithms	O
,	O
and	O
privacy	O
issues.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
site	O
raised	O
questions	O
relating	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
storage	O
of	O
cookies	B-Application
,	O
which	O
in	O
2007	O
had	O
a	O
life	O
span	O
of	O
more	O
than	O
32	O
years	O
and	O
incorporated	O
a	O
unique	O
ID	O
that	O
enabled	O
creation	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
data	O
log	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
faced	O
criticism	O
with	O
its	O
release	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Buzz	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
version	O
of	O
social	O
networking	O
,	O
where	O
Gmail	B-Application
users	O
had	O
their	O
contact	O
lists	O
automatically	O
made	O
public	O
unless	O
they	O
opted	O
out	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
shares	O
this	O
information	O
with	O
law	O
enforcement	O
and	O
other	O
government	O
agencies	O
upon	O
receiving	O
a	O
request	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
is	O
suspected	O
of	O
collecting	O
and	O
aggregating	O
data	O
about	O
Internet	O
users	O
through	O
the	O
various	O
tools	O
it	O
provides	O
to	O
developers	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Google	B-Application
Analytics	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
Services	I-Application
,	O
reCAPTCHA	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Fonts	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Google	B-Protocol
APIs	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
could	O
enable	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
determine	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
route	O
through	O
the	O
Internet	O
by	O
tracking	O
the	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
being	O
used	O
through	O
successive	O
sites	O
(	O
cross-domain	O
web	B-Application
tracking	I-Application
)	O
,	O
However	O
the	O
fourth	O
generation	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Analytics	I-Application
claims	O
that	O
it	O
drops	O
any	O
IP	O
information	O
from	O
EU	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linked	O
to	O
other	O
information	O
made	O
available	O
through	O
Google	B-Protocol
APIs	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
are	O
widely	O
used	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
might	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
quite	O
complete	O
web	O
user	O
profile	O
linked	O
to	O
an	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
or	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
kind	O
of	O
data	O
is	O
invaluable	O
for	O
marketing	O
agencies	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
itself	O
to	O
increase	O
the	O
efficiency	O
of	O
its	O
own	O
marketing	O
and	O
advertising	O
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
encourages	O
developers	O
to	O
use	O
their	O
tools	O
and	O
to	O
communicate	O
end-user	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
to	O
Google	B-Application
:	O
"	O
Developers	O
are	O
also	O
encouraged	O
to	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
userip	O
parameter	O
to	O
supply	O
the	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
of	O
the	O
end-user	O
on	O
whose	O
behalf	O
you	O
are	O
making	O
the	O
API	O
request	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
receive	O
any	O
cookies	B-Application
that	O
they	O
have	O
already	O
set	O
for	O
the	O
user	O
,	O
effectively	O
bypassing	O
restrictions	O
on	O
setting	O
third	O
party	O
cookies	B-Application
and	O
allowing	O
traffic	O
correlation	O
with	O
all	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
other	O
services	O
,	O
which	O
most	O
users	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
has	O
many	O
sites	O
and	O
services	O
that	O
makes	O
it	O
difficult	O
to	O
track	O
where	O
the	O
information	O
could	O
be	O
viewed	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
continuous	O
backlash	O
over	O
aggressive	O
tracking	O
and	O
unknown	O
data	O
retention	O
periods	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
has	O
tried	O
to	O
appeal	O
to	O
a	O
growing	O
number	O
of	O
privacy	O
conscious	O
people	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Google	B-Application
I/O	I-Application
2019	O
,	O
it	O
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
limit	O
the	O
data	O
retention	O
period	O
for	O
some	O
of	O
it	O
services	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
Web	O
and	O
App	O
Activity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
select	O
from	O
between	O
3	O
months	O
to	O
18	O
months	O
within	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Account	O
Dashboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steve	O
Ballmer	O
,	O
Liz	O
Figueroa	O
,	O
Mark	O
Rasch	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
editors	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Watch	O
believe	O
the	O
processing	O
of	O
email	O
message	O
content	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gmail	B-Application
service	O
goes	O
beyond	O
proper	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
claims	O
that	O
mail	O
sent	O
to	O
or	O
from	O
Gmail	B-Application
is	O
never	O
read	O
by	O
a	O
human	O
being	O
other	O
than	O
the	O
account	O
holder	O
,	O
and	O
content	O
that	O
is	O
read	O
by	O
computers	O
is	O
only	O
used	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
relevance	O
of	O
advertisements	O
and	O
block	O
spam	O
emails	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
privacy	O
policies	O
of	O
other	O
popular	O
email	O
services	O
,	O
like	O
Outlook.com	B-Operating_System
and	O
Yahoo	B-Application
,	O
allow	O
users	O
 '	O
personal	O
information	O
to	O
be	O
collected	O
and	O
utilized	O
for	O
advertising	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2004	O
,	O
thirty-one	O
privacy	O
and	O
civil	O
liberties	O
organizations	O
wrote	O
a	O
letter	O
calling	O
upon	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
suspend	O
its	O
Gmail	B-Application
service	O
until	O
the	O
privacy	O
issues	O
were	O
adequately	O
addressed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
letter	O
also	O
called	O
upon	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
clarify	O
its	O
written	O
information	O
policies	O
regarding	O
data	O
retention	O
and	O
data	B-Application
sharing	I-Application
among	O
its	O
business	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
organizations	O
voiced	O
their	O
concerns	O
about	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
plan	O
to	O
scan	O
the	O
text	O
of	O
all	O
incoming	O
messages	O
for	O
the	O
purposes	O
of	O
ad	O
placement	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
scanning	O
of	O
confidential	O
email	O
for	O
inserting	O
third	O
party	O
ad	O
content	O
violates	O
the	O
implicit	O
trust	O
of	O
an	O
email	O
service	O
provider	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
launched	O
an	O
advertising	O
campaign	O
to	O
attack	O
Google	B-Application
for	O
scanning	O
email	O
messages	O
,	O
arguing	O
that	O
most	O
Gmail	B-Application
users	O
are	O
not	O
aware	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
monitors	O
their	O
personal	O
messages	O
to	O
deliver	O
targeted	O
ads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
claims	O
that	O
its	O
email	O
service	O
Outlook	O
does	O
not	O
scan	O
the	O
contents	O
of	O
messages	O
and	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
spokesperson	O
called	O
the	O
issue	O
of	O
privacy	O
"	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
kryptonite.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
concerns	O
include	O
the	O
unlimited	O
period	O
for	O
data	O
retention	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
policies	O
allow	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
potential	O
for	O
unintended	O
secondary	O
uses	O
of	O
the	O
information	O
Gmail	B-Application
collects	O
and	O
stores	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
court	O
filing	O
uncovered	O
by	O
advocacy	O
group	O
Consumer	O
Watchdog	O
in	O
August	O
2013	O
revealed	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
stated	O
in	O
a	O
court	O
filing	O
that	O
no	O
"	O
reasonable	O
expectation	O
"	O
exists	O
among	O
Gmail	B-Application
users	O
in	O
regard	O
to	O
the	O
assured	O
confidentiality	O
of	O
their	O
emails	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
British	O
Newspaper	O
,	O
The	O
Guardian	O
,	O
"	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
court	O
filing	O
was	O
referring	O
to	O
users	O
of	O
other	O
email	O
providers	O
who	O
email	O
Gmail	B-Application
users	O
and	O
not	O
to	O
the	O
Gmail	B-Application
users	O
themselves	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
filed	O
in	O
May	O
2013	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
explained	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Google	B-Application
spokesperson	O
stated	O
to	O
the	O
media	O
on	O
August	O
15	O
,	O
2013	O
that	O
the	O
corporation	O
takes	O
the	O
privacy	O
and	O
security	O
concerns	O
of	O
Gmail	B-Application
users	O
"	O
very	O
seriously.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Federal	O
Judge	O
declined	O
to	O
dissolve	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
made	O
by	O
Gmail	B-Application
users	O
who	O
opposed	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
analyzing	O
the	O
content	O
of	O
the	O
messenger	O
by	O
selling	O
byproducts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
stopped	O
personalizing	O
Gmail	B-Application
ads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2010	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
reported	O
to	O
be	O
working	O
on	O
an	O
agreement	O
with	O
the	O
National	O
Security	O
Agency	O
(	O
NSA	O
)	O
to	O
investigate	O
recent	O
attacks	O
against	O
its	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
deal	O
did	O
not	O
give	O
the	O
NSA	O
access	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
data	O
on	O
users	O
 '	O
searches	O
or	O
e-mail	O
communications	O
and	O
accounts	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
not	O
sharing	O
proprietary	O
data	O
with	O
the	O
agency	O
,	O
privacy	O
and	O
civil	O
rights	O
advocates	O
were	O
concerned	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2004	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
acquired	O
Keyhole	O
,	O
a	O
3D	O
mapping	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2004	O
,	O
before	O
its	O
acquisition	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
Keyhole	O
received	O
an	O
investment	O
from	O
In-Q-Tel	O
,	O
the	O
CIA	O
's	O
investment	O
arm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
And	O
in	O
July	O
2010	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
investment	O
arms	O
of	O
both	O
the	O
CIA	O
(	O
In-Q-Tel	O
)	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
(	O
Google	B-Application
Ventures	O
)	O
were	O
investing	O
in	O
Recorded	O
Future	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
specializing	O
in	O
predictive	B-General_Concept
analytics	I-General_Concept
—	O
monitoring	O
the	O
web	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
and	O
using	O
that	O
information	O
to	O
predict	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Private	O
corporations	O
have	O
been	O
using	O
similar	O
systems	O
since	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
involvement	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
the	O
CIA	O
,	O
with	O
their	O
large	O
data	O
stores	O
,	O
raised	O
privacy	O
concerns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
request	O
attempted	O
to	O
disclose	O
NSA	O
records	O
regarding	O
the	O
2010	O
cyber-attack	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
users	O
in	O
China	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NSA	O
refused	O
to	O
confirm	O
or	O
deny	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
the	O
records	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
any	O
relationship	O
between	O
the	O
NSA	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Leaked	O
NSA	O
documents	O
obtained	O
by	O
The	O
Guardian	O
and	O
The	O
Washington	O
Post	O
in	O
June	O
2013	O
included	O
Google	B-Application
on	O
the	O
list	O
of	O
companies	O
that	O
cooperate	O
with	O
the	O
NSA	O
's	O
PRISM	O
surveillance	O
program	O
,	O
which	O
authorizes	O
the	O
government	O
to	O
secretly	O
access	O
data	O
of	O
non-US	O
citizens	O
hosted	O
by	O
American	O
companies	O
without	O
a	O
warrant	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
has	O
denied	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
any	O
"	O
government	O
backdoor	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
has	O
been	O
criticized	O
both	O
for	O
disclosing	O
too	O
much	O
information	O
to	O
governments	O
too	O
quickly	O
and	O
for	O
not	O
disclosing	O
information	O
that	O
governments	O
need	O
to	O
enforce	O
their	O
laws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2010	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
,	O
released	O
details	O
about	O
how	O
often	O
countries	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
ask	O
it	O
to	O
hand	O
over	O
user	O
data	O
or	O
to	O
censor	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
,	O
which	O
stopped	O
offering	O
search	B-Application
services	I-Application
in	O
China	O
a	O
month	O
before	O
the	O
data	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
said	O
it	O
could	O
not	O
release	O
information	O
on	O
requests	O
from	O
the	O
Chinese	O
government	O
because	O
such	O
information	O
is	O
regarded	O
as	O
a	O
state	O
secret	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
chief	O
legal	O
officer	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
vast	O
majority	O
of	O
these	O
requests	O
are	O
valid	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
information	O
needed	O
is	O
for	O
legitimate	O
criminal	O
investigations	O
or	O
for	O
the	O
removal	O
of	O
child	O
pornography	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
20	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
U.S	O
Supreme	O
Court	O
risked	O
an	O
8.5	O
million	O
settlement	O
which	O
Google	B-Application
formed	O
to	O
fix	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
with	O
the	O
claims	O
of	O
invading	O
their	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
Consumer	O
Watchdog	O
produced	O
a	O
video	O
showing	O
how	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
records	O
what	O
a	O
user	O
types	O
into	O
the	O
web	O
address	O
field	O
and	O
sends	O
that	O
information	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
servers	O
to	O
populate	O
search	O
suggestions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
includes	O
a	O
private	B-Protocol
browsing	I-Protocol
feature	O
called	O
"	O
incognito	B-Protocol
browsing	I-Protocol
mode	O
"	O
that	O
prevents	O
the	O
browser	O
from	O
permanently	O
storing	O
any	O
browsing	B-Protocol
or	I-Protocol
download	I-Protocol
history	I-Protocol
information	O
or	O
cookies	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
any	O
searches	O
performed	O
while	O
signed	O
into	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
account	O
will	O
be	O
saved	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
account	O
's	O
web	O
history	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
other	O
programs	O
such	O
as	O
those	O
used	O
to	O
stream	O
media	O
files	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
invoked	O
from	O
within	O
Chrome	B-Application
,	O
may	O
still	O
record	O
history	O
information	O
,	O
even	O
when	O
incognito	O
mode	O
is	O
being	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
a	O
limitation	O
of	O
Apple	O
's	O
iOS	O
7	O
platform	O
allows	O
some	O
information	O
from	O
incognito	O
browser	O
windows	O
to	O
leak	O
to	O
regular	O
Chrome	B-Application
browser	I-Application
windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
concerns	O
that	O
these	O
limitations	O
may	O
have	O
led	O
Chrome	B-Application
users	O
to	O
believe	O
that	O
incognito	O
mode	O
provides	O
more	O
privacy	O
protection	O
than	O
it	O
actually	O
does	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
online	O
map	O
service	O
,	O
"	B-Application
Street	I-Application
View	I-Application
"	I-Application
,	O
has	O
been	O
found	O
guilty	O
retrieving	O
emails	O
and	O
other	O
personal	O
data	O
in	O
the	O
streets	O
(	O
"	O
payload	O
data	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
taking	O
pictures	O
and	O
viewing	O
too	O
far	O
into	O
people	O
's	O
private	O
homes	O
and/or	O
too	O
close	O
to	O
people	O
on	O
the	O
street	O
when	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
know	O
they	O
are	O
being	O
photographed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
2006	O
to	O
2010	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
Streetview	I-Application
camera	O
cars	O
collected	O
about	O
600	O
gigabytes	O
of	O
data	O
from	O
users	O
of	O
unencrypted	O
public	O
and	O
private	O
Wi-Fi	O
networks	O
in	O
more	O
than	O
30	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
apologized	O
and	O
said	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
"	O
acutely	O
aware	O
that	O
we	O
failed	O
badly	O
here	O
"	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
privacy	O
protection	O
,	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
not	O
aware	O
of	O
the	O
problem	O
until	O
an	O
inquiry	O
from	O
German	O
regulators	O
was	O
received	O
,	O
that	O
the	O
private	O
data	O
was	O
collected	O
inadvertently	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
none	O
of	O
the	O
private	O
data	O
was	O
used	O
in	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
search	B-Application
engine	I-Application
or	O
other	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
representative	O
of	O
Consumer	O
Watchdog	O
replied	O
,	O
"	O
Once	O
again	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
has	O
demonstrated	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
concern	O
for	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
computer	O
engineers	O
run	O
amok	O
,	O
push	O
the	O
envelope	O
and	O
gather	O
whatever	O
data	O
they	O
can	O
until	O
their	O
fingers	O
are	O
caught	O
in	O
the	O
cookie	B-Application
jar.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
sign	O
that	O
legal	O
penalties	O
may	O
result	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
said	O
it	O
will	O
not	O
destroy	O
the	O
data	O
until	O
permitted	O
by	O
regulators.	O
,	O
but	O
then	O
failed	O
to	O
do	O
so	O
in	O
eleven	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Streetview	B-Application
data	O
collection	O
prompted	O
several	O
lawsuits	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
motion	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
case	O
dismissed	O
,	O
saying	O
the	O
Wi-Fi	O
communications	O
it	O
captured	O
were	O
"	O
readily	O
accessible	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
"	O
and	O
therefore	O
not	O
a	O
violation	O
of	O
federal	O
wiretapping	O
laws	O
,	O
was	O
rejected	O
in	O
June	O
2011	O
by	O
the	O
U.S.	O
District	O
Court	O
for	O
the	O
Northern	O
District	O
of	O
California	O
and	O
upon	O
appeal	O
in	O
September	O
2013	O
by	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Court	O
of	O
Appeals	O
for	O
the	O
Ninth	O
Circuit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ruling	O
is	O
viewed	O
as	O
a	O
major	O
legal	O
setback	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
allows	O
the	O
case	O
to	O
move	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
lower	O
court	O
for	O
trial	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Currently	O
Google	B-Application
no	O
longer	O
collects	O
WiFi	O
data	O
via	O
Streetview	B-Application
,	O
instead	O
using	O
an	O
Android	O
device	O
's	O
Wi-Fi	O
positioning	O
system	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
they	O
have	O
suggested	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
a	O
unified	O
approach	O
for	O
opting-out	O
from	O
Wi-Fi-based	O
positioning	O
systems	O
,	O
suggesting	O
the	O
usage	O
of	O
the	O
word	O
"	O
nomap	O
"	O
appended	O
to	O
a	O
wireless	O
access	O
point	O
's	O
SSID	O
to	O
exclude	O
it	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
WPS	O
database	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
14	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Viacom	O
compromised	O
to	O
protect	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
users	O
 '	O
personal	O
data	O
in	O
their	O
$1billion	O
copyright	O
lawsuit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
agreed	O
it	O
will	O
anonymize	O
user	O
information	O
and	O
internet	B-Protocol
protocol	I-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
from	O
its	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
subsidiary	O
before	O
handing	O
the	O
data	O
over	O
to	O
Viacom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
deal	O
however	O
did	O
not	O
extend	O
the	O
anonymity	O
to	O
employees	O
,	O
because	O
Viacom	O
wishes	O
to	O
prove	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
staff	O
are	O
aware	O
of	O
the	O
uploading	O
of	O
illegal	O
material	O
to	O
the	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
YouTube	B-General_Concept
was	O
forced	O
to	O
pay	O
$170	O
million	O
and	O
implement	O
new	O
privacy	O
systems	O
to	O
the	O
FTC	O
following	O
a	O
complaint	O
about	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
enforcement	O
of	O
the	O
Children	O
's	O
Online	O
Privacy	O
Protection	O
Act	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
9	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
launched	O
Google	B-Application
Buzz	I-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
microblogging	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Anyone	O
with	O
a	O
Gmail	B-Application
account	O
was	O
automatically	O
added	O
as	O
a	O
contact	O
to	O
pre-existing	O
Gmail	B-Application
contacts	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
to	O
opt	O
out	O
if	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
wish	O
to	O
participate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
launch	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
Buzz	I-Application
as	O
an	O
"	O
opt-out	O
"	O
social	O
network	O
immediately	O
drew	O
criticism	O
for	O
violating	O
user	O
privacy	O
because	O
it	O
automatically	O
allowed	O
Gmail	B-Application
users	O
 '	O
contacts	O
to	O
view	O
their	O
other	O
contacts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Federal	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
initiated	O
a	O
Commission	O
proceeding	O
against	O
respondent	O
Google	O
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
alleging	O
that	O
certain	O
personal	O
information	O
of	O
Gmail	B-Application
users	O
was	O
shared	O
without	O
users	O
 '	O
permission	O
through	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
Buzz	O
social	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
Plus	I-Application
(	O
G+	B-Application
)	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
late	O
June	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
July	O
2011	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
began	O
enforcing	O
this	O
policy	O
by	O
suspending	O
the	O
accounts	O
of	O
those	O
who	O
used	O
pseudonyms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
August	O
2011	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
provided	O
a	O
four-day	O
grace	O
period	O
before	O
enforcing	O
the	O
real	O
name	O
policy	O
and	O
suspending	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
policy	O
extended	O
to	O
new	O
accounts	O
for	O
all	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
services	O
,	O
including	O
Gmail	B-Application
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
,	O
although	O
accounts	O
existing	O
before	O
the	O
new	O
policy	O
were	O
not	O
required	O
to	O
be	O
updated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
January	O
2012	O
Google	B-Application
began	O
allowing	O
members	O
to	O
use	O
nicknames	O
,	O
maiden	O
names	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
"	O
established	O
"	O
names	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
their	O
common	O
or	O
real	O
names	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
the	O
real	O
name	O
policy	O
makes	O
Google	B-Application
more	O
like	O
the	O
real	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
considerable	O
use	O
of	O
search	B-Application
engines	I-Application
for	O
"	O
people-searching	O
"	O
,	O
attempting	O
to	O
find	O
information	O
on	O
persons	O
by	O
performing	O
a	O
search	O
of	O
their	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
high-profile	O
commentators	O
have	O
publicly	O
criticized	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
policies	O
,	O
including	O
technologists	O
Jamie	B-Operating_System
Zawinski	I-Operating_System
,	O
Kevin	O
Marks	O
,	O
and	O
Robert	O
Scoble	O
and	O
organizations	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
person	O
who	O
reports	O
a	O
human	O
rights	O
violation	O
or	O
crime	O
and	O
posts	O
it	O
on	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
can	O
no	O
longer	O
do	O
so	O
anonymously	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
arguments	O
fail	O
to	O
address	O
the	O
financial	O
gain	O
represented	O
by	O
connecting	O
personal	O
data	O
to	O
real-world	O
identities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
has	O
inconsistently	O
enforced	O
their	O
policy	O
,	O
especially	O
by	O
making	O
exceptions	O
for	O
celebrities	O
using	O
pseudonyms	O
and	O
mononyms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2011	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
not	O
signing	O
onto	O
the	O
Do	B-Protocol
Not	I-Protocol
Track	I-Protocol
feature	O
for	O
Chrome	B-Application
that	O
was	O
being	O
incorporated	O
in	O
most	O
other	O
modern	O
web	O
browsers	O
,	O
including	O
Firefox	B-Application
,	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
,	O
Safari	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Opera	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
a	O
new	O
patent	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
granted	O
in	O
April	O
2011	O
,	O
for	O
greatly	O
enhanced	O
user	O
tracking	O
through	O
web	O
advertising	O
,	O
will	O
provide	O
much	O
more	O
detailed	O
information	O
on	O
user	O
behavior	O
and	O
that	O
do	B-Protocol
not	I-Protocol
track	I-Protocol
would	O
hurt	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
ability	O
to	O
exploit	O
this	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mozilla	O
developer	O
Asa	O
Dotzler	O
noted	O
:	O
"	O
It	O
seems	O
pretty	O
obvious	O
to	O
me	O
that	O
the	O
Chrome	B-Application
team	O
is	O
bowing	O
to	O
pressure	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
advertising	O
business	O
and	O
that	O
's	O
a	O
real	O
shame	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
criticisms	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
argued	O
that	O
the	O
technology	O
is	O
useless	O
,	O
as	O
advertisers	O
are	O
not	O
required	O
to	O
obey	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
tracking	O
preferences	O
and	O
it	O
remains	O
unclear	O
as	O
to	O
what	O
constitutes	O
tracking	O
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
storing	O
statistical	O
data	O
or	O
user	O
preferences	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
alternative	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
continues	O
to	O
offer	O
an	O
extension	O
called	O
"	O
Keep	O
My	O
Opt-Outs	O
"	O
that	O
permanently	O
prevents	O
advertising	O
companies	O
from	O
installing	O
cookies	B-Application
on	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
something	O
that	O
just	O
works	O
and	O
does	O
n't	O
require	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
figure	O
anything	O
out	O
—	O
than	O
the	O
IE	O
or	O
Firefox	B-Application
solutions	O
"	O
while	O
lamenting	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
extension	O
is	O
not	O
included	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
browser	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2012	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
Chrome	B-Application
would	O
incorporate	O
a	O
Do	B-Protocol
Not	I-Protocol
Track	I-Protocol
feature	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
implemented	O
in	O
early	O
November	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
2016	O
)	O
in	O
their	O
study	O
“	O
Do	O
n’t	O
Let	O
Google	B-Application
Know	O
I	O
’m	O
Lonely	O
”	O
,	O
presented	O
strong	O
evidence	O
that	O
the	O
two	O
giant	O
techs	O
have	O
very	O
high	O
accuracy	O
while	O
providing	O
results	O
based	O
on	O
user	O
's	O
sensitive	O
entries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
2016	O
)	O
specifically	O
focused	O
on	O
user	O
's	O
financial	O
and	O
sexual	O
preferences	O
and	O
they	O
have	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
For	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
100%	O
of	O
user	O
sessions	O
on	O
a	O
sensitive	O
topic	O
reject	O
the	O
hypothesis	O
that	O
no	O
learning	O
of	O
the	O
sensitive	O
topic	O
by	O
the	O
search	B-Application
engine	I-Application
has	O
taken	O
place	O
and	O
so	O
are	O
identified	O
as	O
sensitive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scroogle	O
,	O
named	O
after	O
the	O
fictional	O
character	O
Ebenezer	O
Scrooge	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
web	O
service	O
that	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
perform	O
Google	B-Application
searches	O
anonymously	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
focused	O
heavily	O
on	O
searcher	O
privacy	O
by	O
blocking	O
Google	B-Application
cookies	B-Application
and	O
not	O
saving	O
log	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
2003	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
critic	O
Daniel	O
Brandt	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
concerned	O
about	O
Google	B-Application
collecting	O
personal	O
information	O
on	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scroogle	O
offered	O
a	O
web	O
interface	O
and	O
browser	O
plugins	O
for	O
Firefox	B-Application
,	O
Google	B-Application
Chrome	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
that	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
run	O
Google	B-Application
searches	O
anonymously	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
scraped	B-Application
Google	B-Application
search	B-Application
results	I-Application
,	O
removing	O
ads	O
and	O
sponsored	O
links	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
the	O
raw	O
search	B-Application
results	I-Application
were	O
returned	O
,	O
meaning	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
page	O
preview	O
were	O
not	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
added	O
security	O
,	O
Scroogle	O
gave	O
users	O
the	O
option	O
of	O
having	O
all	O
communication	O
between	O
their	O
computer	O
and	O
the	O
search	O
page	O
be	O
SSL	B-Protocol
encrypted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Scroogle	O
's	O
activities	O
technically	O
violated	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
terms	O
of	O
service	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
generally	O
tolerated	O
its	O
existence	O
,	O
whitelisting	O
the	O
site	O
on	O
multiple	O
occasions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
was	O
permanently	O
shut	O
down	O
by	O
its	O
creator	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
throttling	O
of	O
search	O
requests	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
and	O
a	O
denial-of-service	O
attack	O
by	O
an	O
unknown	O
person	O
or	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
European	O
Union	O
(	O
EU	O
)	O
data	O
protection	O
officials	O
(	O
the	O
Article	O
29	O
working	O
party	O
who	O
advise	O
the	O
EU	O
on	O
privacy	O
policy	O
)	O
have	O
written	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
asking	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
justify	O
its	O
policy	O
of	O
keeping	O
information	O
on	O
individuals	O
 '	O
internet	B-Application
searches	I-Application
for	O
up	O
to	O
two	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
letter	O
questioned	O
whether	O
Google	B-Application
has	O
"	O
fulfilled	O
all	O
the	O
necessary	O
requirements	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
EU	O
laws	O
concerning	O
data	O
protection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
31	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
agreed	O
that	O
its	O
privacy	O
policy	O
was	O
vague	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
constantly	O
working	O
at	O
making	O
it	O
clearer	O
to	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Google	B-Application
merged	O
its	O
different	O
privacy	O
policies	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
one	O
in	O
March	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
working	O
group	O
of	O
all	O
European	O
Union	O
Data	O
Protection	O
Authorities	O
assessed	O
that	O
it	O
failed	O
to	O
comply	O
with	O
the	O
EU	O
legal	O
framework	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
has	O
also	O
been	O
implicated	O
in	O
Google	B-Application
Spain	O
v	O
AEPD	O
and	O
Mario	O
Costeja	O
González	O
,	O
a	O
case	O
before	O
the	O
Audiencia	O
Nacional	O
(	O
Spain	O
's	O
national	O
court	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
European	O
Court	O
of	O
Justice	O
,	O
which	O
required	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
comply	O
with	O
the	O
European	O
privacy	O
laws	O
(	O
i.e.	O
,	O
the	O
Data	O
Protection	O
Directive	O
)	O
and	O
to	O
allow	B-Application
users	I-Application
to	I-Application
be	I-Application
forgotten	I-Application
when	O
operating	O
in	O
the	O
European	O
Union	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
2010	O
,	O
after	O
more	O
than	O
five	O
months	O
of	O
unsuccessful	O
negotiations	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Czech	O
Office	O
for	O
Personal	O
Data	O
Protection	O
prevented	O
Street	B-Application
View	I-Application
from	O
taking	O
pictures	O
of	O
new	O
locations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Office	O
described	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
program	O
as	O
taking	O
pictures	O
"	O
beyond	O
the	O
extent	O
of	O
the	O
ordinary	O
sight	O
from	O
a	O
street	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
claimed	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
disproportionately	O
invaded	O
citizens	O
 '	O
privacy.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
resumed	O
Street	B-Application
View	I-Application
in	O
Czech	O
Republic	O
in	O
2012	O
after	O
having	O
agreed	O
to	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
limitations	O
similar	O
to	O
concessions	O
Google	B-Application
has	O
made	O
in	O
other	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
French	O
authority	O
,	O
CNIL	O
sanctioned	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
requiring	O
it	O
to	O
pay	O
their	O
highest	O
fee	O
and	O
to	O
display	O
on	O
its	O
search	B-Application
engine	I-Application
website	O
a	O
banner	O
referring	O
to	O
the	O
decision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
complied	O
,	O
but	O
planned	O
to	O
appeal	O
to	O
the	O
supreme	O
court	O
of	O
administrative	O
justice	O
,	O
the	O
Conseil	O
d'Etat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
French	O
and	O
German	O
companies	O
came	O
together	O
to	O
form	O
a	O
group	O
called	O
the	O
Open	O
Internet	O
Project	O
,	O
seeking	O
a	O
ban	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
manipulative	O
favoring	O
of	O
its	O
own	O
services	O
and	O
content	O
over	O
those	O
of	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2010	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
unable	O
to	O
meet	O
a	O
deadline	O
set	O
by	O
Hamburg	O
's	O
data	O
protection	O
supervisor	O
to	O
hand	O
over	O
data	O
illegally	O
collected	O
from	O
unsecured	O
home	O
wireless	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
added	O
,	O
"	O
We	O
hope	O
,	O
given	O
more	O
time	O
,	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
resolve	O
this	O
difficult	O
issue.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2010	O
,	O
vandals	O
in	O
Germany	O
targeted	O
houses	O
that	O
had	O
opted	O
out	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
Street	B-Application
View	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2011	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
will	O
not	O
expand	O
its	O
Street	B-Application
View	I-Application
program	O
in	O
Germany	O
,	O
but	O
what	O
has	O
already	O
been	O
photographed	O
—	O
around	O
20	O
cities	O
 '	O
worth	O
of	O
pictures	O
—	O
will	O
remain	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
decision	O
came	O
despite	O
an	O
earlier	O
Berlin	O
State	O
Supreme	O
Court	O
ruling	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
Street	B-Application
View	I-Application
program	O
was	O
legal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2014	O
,	O
a	O
top	O
official	O
in	O
Germany	O
called	O
for	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
be	O
broken	O
up	O
as	O
publishers	O
were	O
fighting	O
in	O
court	O
over	O
compensation	O
for	O
the	O
snippets	O
of	O
text	O
that	O
appear	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
News	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
chief	O
executive	O
of	O
Axel	O
Springer	O
,	O
a	O
German	O
publishing	O
giant	O
,	O
expressed	O
fears	O
over	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
growing	O
influence	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2010	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
complaint	O
brought	O
by	O
an	O
Italian	O
advocacy	O
group	O
for	O
people	O
with	O
Down	O
's	O
Syndrome	O
,	O
Vividown	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
boy	O
's	O
father	O
,	O
three	O
Google	B-Application
executives	O
were	O
handed	O
six-month	O
suspended	O
sentences	O
for	O
breach	O
of	O
the	O
Italian	O
Personal	O
Data	O
Protection	O
Code	O
in	O
relation	O
to	O
a	O
video	O
,	O
uploaded	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
Video	O
in	O
2006	O
,	O
of	O
a	O
disabled	O
boy	O
being	O
bullied	O
by	O
several	O
classmates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Data	O
Inspectorate	O
of	O
Norway	O
(	O
Norway	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
EU	O
)	O
investigated	O
Google	B-Application
(	O
and	O
others	O
)	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
18	O
-	O
to	O
24-month	O
period	O
for	O
retaining	O
data	O
proposed	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
too	O
long	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
27	O
March	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
Court	O
of	O
Appeal	O
ruled	O
that	O
British	O
persons	O
have	O
the	O
right	O
to	O
sue	O
Google	B-Application
in	O
the	O
UK	O
for	O
misuse	O
of	O
private	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2005	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Department	O
of	O
Justice	O
filed	O
a	O
motion	O
in	O
federal	O
court	O
to	O
force	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
comply	O
with	O
a	O
subpoena	O
for	O
"	O
the	O
text	O
of	O
each	O
search	O
string	O
entered	O
onto	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
search	B-Application
engine	I-Application
over	O
a	O
two-month	O
period	O
(	O
absent	O
any	O
information	O
identifying	O
the	O
person	O
who	O
entered	O
such	O
query	O
)	O
.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
fought	O
the	O
subpoena	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
concerns	O
about	O
users	O
 '	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2006	O
,	O
the	O
court	O
ruled	O
partially	O
in	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
favor	O
,	O
recognizing	O
the	O
privacy	O
implications	O
of	O
turning	O
over	O
search	O
terms	O
and	O
refusing	O
to	O
grant	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2008	O
,	O
a	O
Pittsburgh	O
couple	O
,	O
Aaron	O
and	O
Christine	O
Boring	O
,	O
sued	O
Google	B-Application
for	O
"	O
invasion	O
of	O
privacy	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
claimed	O
that	O
Street	B-Application
View	I-Application
made	O
a	O
photo	O
of	O
their	O
home	O
available	O
online	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
diminished	O
the	O
value	O
of	O
their	O
house	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
purchased	O
for	O
its	O
privacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
While	O
it	O
is	O
easy	O
to	O
imagine	O
that	O
many	O
whose	O
property	O
appears	O
on	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
virtual	O
maps	O
resent	O
the	O
privacy	O
implications	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
hard	O
to	O
believe	O
that	O
any	O
other	O
than	O
the	O
most	O
exquisitely	O
sensitive	O
would	O
suffer	O
shame	O
or	O
humiliation	O
,	O
"	O
Judge	O
Hay	O
ruled	O
;	O
the	O
Boring	O
family	O
was	O
paid	O
one	O
dollar	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
for	O
the	O
incident	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2010	O
,	O
a	O
U.S.	O
District	O
Court	O
in	O
Portland	O
,	O
Oregon	O
ordered	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
hand	O
over	O
two	O
copies	O
of	O
wireless	O
data	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
Street	B-Application
View	I-Application
program	O
collected	O
as	O
it	O
photographed	O
neighborhoods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
and	O
2013	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
reached	O
two	O
settlements	O
over	O
tracking	O
people	O
online	O
without	O
their	O
knowledge	O
after	O
bypassing	O
privacy	O
settings	O
in	O
Apple	O
’s	O
Safari	B-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
fines	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
agreed	O
to	O
avoid	O
using	O
software	O
that	O
overrides	O
a	O
browser	O
's	O
cookie-blocking	O
settings	O
,	O
to	O
avoid	O
omitting	O
or	O
misrepresenting	O
information	O
to	O
individuals	O
about	O
how	O
they	O
use	O
Google	B-Application
products	O
or	O
control	O
the	O
ads	O
they	O
see	O
,	O
to	O
maintain	O
for	O
five	O
years	O
a	O
web	O
page	O
explaining	O
what	O
cookies	B-Application
are	O
and	O
how	O
to	O
control	O
them	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
ensure	O
that	O
the	O
cookies	B-Application
tied	O
to	O
Safari	B-Application
browsers	I-Application
expire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
both	O
settlements	O
Google	B-Application
denied	O
any	O
wrongdoing	O
,	O
but	O
said	O
it	O
discontinued	O
circumventing	O
the	O
settings	O
early	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
practice	O
was	O
publicly	O
reported	O
,	O
and	O
stopped	O
tracking	O
Safari	B-Application
users	O
and	O
showing	O
them	O
personalized	O
ads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
was	O
fined	O
$170	O
million	O
by	O
the	O
Federal	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
for	O
violation	O
of	O
COPPA	O
regulations	O
on	O
its	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
YouTube	B-General_Concept
was	O
required	O
to	O
add	O
a	O
feature	O
to	O
allow	O
video	O
uploaders	O
to	O
flag	O
videos	O
made	O
for	O
users	O
under	O
13	O
years	O
old	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
YouTube	B-General_Concept
was	O
also	O
required	O
to	O
ask	O
for	O
parents	O
 '	O
permission	O
before	O
collecting	O
personal	O
information	O
from	O
children	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
2016	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
quietly	O
dropped	O
its	O
ban	O
on	O
personally-identifiable	O
info	O
in	O
its	O
DoubleClick	O
ad	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
privacy	O
policy	O
was	O
changed	O
to	O
state	O
it	O
"	O
may	O
"	O
combine	O
web-browsing	O
records	O
obtained	O
through	O
DoubleClick	O
with	O
what	O
the	O
company	O
learns	O
from	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
other	O
Google	B-Application
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
new	O
users	O
were	O
automatically	O
opted	O
in	O
,	O
existing	O
users	O
were	O
asked	O
if	O
they	O
wanted	O
to	O
opt	O
in	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
remains	O
possible	O
to	O
opt	O
out	O
in	O
the	O
Activity	O
controls	O
of	O
the	O
My	O
Account	O
page	O
for	O
a	O
Google	B-Application
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ProPublica	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
The	O
practical	O
result	O
of	O
the	O
change	O
is	O
that	O
the	O
DoubleClick	O
ads	O
that	O
follow	O
people	O
around	O
on	O
the	O
web	O
may	O
now	O
be	O
customized	O
to	O
them	O
based	O
on	O
your	O
name	O
and	O
other	O
information	O
Google	B-Application
knows	O
about	O
you	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
means	O
that	O
Google	B-Application
could	O
now	O
,	O
if	O
it	O
wished	O
to	O
,	O
build	O
a	O
complete	O
portrait	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
by	O
name	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
everything	O
they	O
write	O
in	O
email	O
,	O
every	O
website	O
they	O
visit	O
and	O
the	O
searches	O
they	O
conduct.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
contacted	O
ProPublica	O
to	O
correct	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
it	O
did	O
n't	O
"	O
currently	O
"	O
use	O
Gmail	B-Application
keywords	O
to	O
target	O
web	O
ads	O
.	O
</s>
