5 ms·

I wonder how the German data protection office might respond if they realized Google probably have the largest database of images in the world, is trying to put

I wonder how the German data protection office might respond if they realized Google probably have the largest database of images in the world, is trying to put cameras in everyone's glasses, and already owns 2 face recognition companies (Neven Vision, Pittpatt)

mike-cardwell 14y ago
The tone of your comment implies that you think that Germany is targetting Facebook unfairly. Read up on what happened with Google Street View in Germany. This is not a German issue anyway. It's an EU issue. And the problem is companies compiling data on users without their permission (opt out rather than opt in). If users aren't willing to opt in to your data collection, then you're not offering something worth the trade. Facebook and Google rely on peoples ignorance to make money.
- ZENmotherfucker 14y ago
  >If users aren't willing to opt in to your data collection, then you're not offering something worth the trade. Facebook and Google rely on peoples ignorance to make money. Ignorance or apathy? And if apathetic, then for those people, it likely is worth the trade. If they're not willing to opt-out, then they don't give a shit. Right? Cuts both ways. Regardless, I think it's hard to effectively argue the idea that you have a "right" for others not to know something, in this case personal information. If you don't want somebody to know something, then don't tell them.
- thirdsun 14y ago
  I can't talk for the rest of the EU but in Germany privacy issues tend to get blown out of proportion - the media coverage during the street view controversy was rather ridiculous. Average, non-technical people almost thought Google would drive through their backyards. It's ok to disagree with Google's and Facebook's behaviour and it's ok to take measures but I wish the media would focus on balanced and objective coverage, educating people rather than calling for drama and hysteria.
  - Argorak 14y ago
    I think the street view thing was a deliberate campaign. Many german publishers hate Google with a passion because it eats their advertisement revenue - so much that they are even lobbying for a law passed that would force Google to pay them for indexing their content. Microsoft started photographing a few months later and no one cared.
    - koenigdavidmj 14y ago
      > so much that they are even lobbying for a law passed that would force Google to pay them for indexing their content. Don't they remember the last time somebody tried to get in the way of Google indexing their content? As I recall, Google just took them entirely out of the index and then they changed their tune.
    - thirdsun 14y ago
      The 'Leistungsschutzrecht'? That was really ridiculous. Publishers could simply opt-out from being indexed but of course being paid for providing snippets of content on Google News sounded like a nicer option. If you speak german Stefan Niggemeier just created a nice rundown of the events since 2009 that outlines how newspapers and publishers tried to cover the issue in their favor: http://www.stefan-niggemeier.de/blog/ein-kartell-nutzt-seine-macht-wie-die-verlage-fuer-das-leistungsschutzrecht-kaempfen/ http://www.stefan-niggemeier.de/blog/ein-kartell-nutzt-seine...
      - weel 14y ago
        Wow, that's an impressively well-researched piece.
  - alexqgb 14y ago
    "In Germany privacy issues tend to get blown out of proportion." Gosh, I wonder why? I mean, what is it about German history - in particular - that would trigger such powerful negative reactions to the technical foundations of a surveillance state? Hummm.... Nope, no idea.
- shasta 14y ago
  > If users aren't willing to opt in to your data collection, then you're not offering something worth the trade. Facebook and Google rely on peoples ignorance to make money. "All data collection should be opt-in" is overly simplistic. Google street view is, on the balance, a huge value and it's Germany's loss. I'm much less a fan of what Facebook. The details matter.

mike-cardwell 14y ago

The tone of your comment implies that you think that Germany is targetting Facebook unfairly. Read up on what happened with Google Street View in Germany. This is not a German issue anyway. It's an EU issue. And the problem is companies compiling data on users without their permission (opt out rather than opt in). If users aren't willing to opt in to your data collection, then you're not offering something worth the trade. Facebook and Google rely on peoples ignorance to make money.

ZENmotherfucker 14y ago
>If users aren't willing to opt in to your data collection, then you're not offering something worth the trade. Facebook and Google rely on peoples ignorance to make money. Ignorance or apathy? And if apathetic, then for those people, it likely is worth the trade. If they're not willing to opt-out, then they don't give a shit. Right? Cuts both ways. Regardless, I think it's hard to effectively argue the idea that you have a "right" for others not to know something, in this case personal information. If you don't want somebody to know something, then don't tell them.
thirdsun 14y ago
I can't talk for the rest of the EU but in Germany privacy issues tend to get blown out of proportion - the media coverage during the street view controversy was rather ridiculous. Average, non-technical people almost thought Google would drive through their backyards. It's ok to disagree with Google's and Facebook's behaviour and it's ok to take measures but I wish the media would focus on balanced and objective coverage, educating people rather than calling for drama and hysteria.
- Argorak 14y ago
  I think the street view thing was a deliberate campaign. Many german publishers hate Google with a passion because it eats their advertisement revenue - so much that they are even lobbying for a law passed that would force Google to pay them for indexing their content. Microsoft started photographing a few months later and no one cared.
  - koenigdavidmj 14y ago
    > so much that they are even lobbying for a law passed that would force Google to pay them for indexing their content. Don't they remember the last time somebody tried to get in the way of Google indexing their content? As I recall, Google just took them entirely out of the index and then they changed their tune.
  - thirdsun 14y ago
    The 'Leistungsschutzrecht'? That was really ridiculous. Publishers could simply opt-out from being indexed but of course being paid for providing snippets of content on Google News sounded like a nicer option. If you speak german Stefan Niggemeier just created a nice rundown of the events since 2009 that outlines how newspapers and publishers tried to cover the issue in their favor: http://www.stefan-niggemeier.de/blog/ein-kartell-nutzt-seine-macht-wie-die-verlage-fuer-das-leistungsschutzrecht-kaempfen/ http://www.stefan-niggemeier.de/blog/ein-kartell-nutzt-seine...
    - weel 14y ago
      Wow, that's an impressively well-researched piece.
- alexqgb 14y ago
  "In Germany privacy issues tend to get blown out of proportion." Gosh, I wonder why? I mean, what is it about German history - in particular - that would trigger such powerful negative reactions to the technical foundations of a surveillance state? Hummm.... Nope, no idea.
shasta 14y ago
> If users aren't willing to opt in to your data collection, then you're not offering something worth the trade. Facebook and Google rely on peoples ignorance to make money. "All data collection should be opt-in" is overly simplistic. Google street view is, on the balance, a huge value and it's Germany's loss. I'm much less a fan of what Facebook. The details matter.