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They obviously subscribed to work calendars in order to follow the work activities of those people. There is no other technical way to do that. There isn’t a w

They obviously subscribed to work calendars in order to follow the work activities of those people. There is no other technical way to do that. There isn’t a way to separate out personal events — which shouldn’t be there, or at least should be marked private. That this information was included, does not indicate that it was a target; it does indicate that it was a useful way for Google to attack their actions.

eloisant 7y ago
There is a way - use different calendars for work and home. Preferably with different accounts (work account vs personal account). You can then blend the 2 calendars either in the mobile app, or by importing one to the other account. I'm a bit surprised to hear some people would use their work calendar for personal activities, I don't see why you would do that.
- praxulus 7y ago
  Right, but there's no way to separate out personal events when you subscribe to someone else's work calendar if they put personal events on their work calendar.
  - johnchristopher 7y ago
    But if you subcribe to such (edit: you colleague's) calendars for work purposes then why set up notifications for family activities ?
- Fiadliel 7y ago
  I meant, there is no way for subscribers to a calendar to do that automatically. There are possible heuristics that could filter out clearly personal entries (keywords, etc.), but that feature would need to be implemented by (cough) Google. There are obvious ways for calendar owners to separate the information (which was not done in the instances that Google refer to).
- jmkd 7y ago
  Because you have one life and busy days and personal and professional merge with a lunchtime meeting then an afternoon doctor's appointment etc. When you are back to back most days (common at Google) you can't be juggling multiple calendar accounts all the time, not least because a personal event doesn't show on your professional cal meaning someone can try to double book that slot.
  - svrtknst 7y ago
    Idk, I use Google Calendar (browser, android app) and currently run work calendar, private calendar, and facebook events seamlessly. Don't think I've spent much time at all setting it up, either.
    - monocasa 7y ago
      Other people can't see the other calendars though.
- laumars 7y ago
  I sometimes put personal appointments into a work calendar to avoid getting people scheduling meetings for that time (as a manager, I get a lot of people scheduling meetings on my behalf). Usually the personal details are pretty sparse -- just containing the minimum I'd normally share in person eg "dentist", "doctors", "kids school performance" / "parents evening". These would be days where I'm technically working but organising my work hours around a personal appointment (otherwise I'd just put "annual leave" if I'm taking a full or half day off). This would be enough to fall in line with Google's statement even though I'm technically not using work's calendar for personal appointments.
SyneRyder 7y ago
Even if it was purely just to follow their internal work calendar - which seems unlikely, as they weren't people in their work group - it doesn't explain this: >"Screenshots of some of their calendars, including their names and details, subsequently made their way outside the company." There is no reason to be sharing a work calendar with others outside the company, and without that person's permission.
- leereeves 7y ago
  > subsequently made their way outside the company Does Google allege that the fired workers were responsible for that? The quote clearly suggests that, but if Google won't make a clear allegation (in a statement containing other clear allegations), they must not have much evidence, if any.
  - lordlimecat 7y ago
    If google is making false statements on the matter they will be in for a world of hurt. Its just not likely that large, publicly traded, heavily scrutinized corps like Google are going to lie about matters soon to be litigated. Meanwhile the individuals in question have zero reason NOT to lie to reporters; they're under no legal obligations and can say what they want.
    - thomasz 7y ago
      > If google is making false statements on the matter they will be in for a world of hurt. Is that so? When faced with unions in their infancy, often the companies come out with all guns blazing. They might even face fines after an incredibly lengthy court battle, but putting down that organizing effort down while it hasn't taken roots is more important to them.
      - lordlimecat 7y ago
        Opposing unions in an illegal manner is not likely to impress the various oversight agencies, or any courts that get involved. Once a company becomes big enough, claims that they're lying to persecute a handful of users become implausible because the potential liability for doing so vastly outweighs the minor benefits they might gain. And this isnt the 1920s, you can't just fire people for trying to unionize and realistically think that it will solve the problem or that no one will notice. Ignore the names of the companies / individuals involved, their histories, etc-- just look at the incentives that each party has around lying vs telling the truth-- and it's not hard to accept that Google is more likely to be truthful about this than a terminated employee.

eloisant 7y ago

There is a way - use different calendars for work and home. Preferably with different accounts (work account vs personal account). You can then blend the 2 calendars either in the mobile app, or by importing one to the other account. I'm a bit surprised to hear some people would use their work calendar for personal activities, I don't see why you would do that.

praxulus 7y ago
Right, but there's no way to separate out personal events when you subscribe to someone else's work calendar if they put personal events on their work calendar.
- johnchristopher 7y ago
  But if you subcribe to such (edit: you colleague's) calendars for work purposes then why set up notifications for family activities ?
Fiadliel 7y ago
I meant, there is no way for subscribers to a calendar to do that automatically. There are possible heuristics that could filter out clearly personal entries (keywords, etc.), but that feature would need to be implemented by (cough) Google. There are obvious ways for calendar owners to separate the information (which was not done in the instances that Google refer to).
jmkd 7y ago
Because you have one life and busy days and personal and professional merge with a lunchtime meeting then an afternoon doctor's appointment etc. When you are back to back most days (common at Google) you can't be juggling multiple calendar accounts all the time, not least because a personal event doesn't show on your professional cal meaning someone can try to double book that slot.
- svrtknst 7y ago
  Idk, I use Google Calendar (browser, android app) and currently run work calendar, private calendar, and facebook events seamlessly. Don't think I've spent much time at all setting it up, either.
  - monocasa 7y ago
    Other people can't see the other calendars though.
laumars 7y ago
I sometimes put personal appointments into a work calendar to avoid getting people scheduling meetings for that time (as a manager, I get a lot of people scheduling meetings on my behalf). Usually the personal details are pretty sparse -- just containing the minimum I'd normally share in person eg "dentist", "doctors", "kids school performance" / "parents evening". These would be days where I'm technically working but organising my work hours around a personal appointment (otherwise I'd just put "annual leave" if I'm taking a full or half day off). This would be enough to fall in line with Google's statement even though I'm technically not using work's calendar for personal appointments.

SyneRyder 7y ago

Even if it was purely just to follow their internal work calendar - which seems unlikely, as they weren't people in their work group - it doesn't explain this: >"Screenshots of some of their calendars, including their names and details, subsequently made their way outside the company." There is no reason to be sharing a work calendar with others outside the company, and without that person's permission.

leereeves 7y ago
> subsequently made their way outside the company Does Google allege that the fired workers were responsible for that? The quote clearly suggests that, but if Google won't make a clear allegation (in a statement containing other clear allegations), they must not have much evidence, if any.
- lordlimecat 7y ago
  If google is making false statements on the matter they will be in for a world of hurt. Its just not likely that large, publicly traded, heavily scrutinized corps like Google are going to lie about matters soon to be litigated. Meanwhile the individuals in question have zero reason NOT to lie to reporters; they're under no legal obligations and can say what they want.
  - thomasz 7y ago
    > If google is making false statements on the matter they will be in for a world of hurt. Is that so? When faced with unions in their infancy, often the companies come out with all guns blazing. They might even face fines after an incredibly lengthy court battle, but putting down that organizing effort down while it hasn't taken roots is more important to them.
    - lordlimecat 7y ago
      Opposing unions in an illegal manner is not likely to impress the various oversight agencies, or any courts that get involved. Once a company becomes big enough, claims that they're lying to persecute a handful of users become implausible because the potential liability for doing so vastly outweighs the minor benefits they might gain. And this isnt the 1920s, you can't just fire people for trying to unionize and realistically think that it will solve the problem or that no one will notice. Ignore the names of the companies / individuals involved, their histories, etc-- just look at the incentives that each party has around lying vs telling the truth-- and it's not hard to accept that Google is more likely to be truthful about this than a terminated employee.