Tag: Google

All EFF’d Up: Silicon Valley’s astroturf privacy shakedown

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

All EFF’d Up: Silicon Valley’s astroturf privacy shakedown

But that’s what EFF is all about: it’s a Silicon Valley corporate front group, no different than the rest. The only thing unique about it is how successful it’s been in positioning itself as a defender of the people—so successful, in fact, that even the people who work for it believe it. The fact that EFF has been able to pull it off of for so long shows the kind of immense power that Silicon Valley wields over our political culture. When we think about technology and the Internet, there’s no left or right. There’s just Google and Facebook.

[2014] China Bans Microsoft & Google.

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

China Bans Microsoft & Google.

Indeed, Xinhua—which naturally has an intimate relationship with the state—made the surveillance aspect explicit in the opener of its article on the new OS.

“After concerns about US surveillance and a monopoly probe of Microsoft, there is some good news for China’s homegrown operating system (OS): a desktop version may be ready in October,” the agency wrote.

It’s not immediately apparent that the Windows 8 ban and subsequent development of China’s own OS are direct responses to the NSA leaks, but as a whole, both are certainly indicative of the long-deteriorating relationship between the two countries when it comes to cyberespionage.

Related:

Researchers Made a Fake Social Network to Infiltrate China’s Internet Censors

Google kicked ZeroHedge off its ad platform and warned the Federalist

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Google kicked ZeroHedge off its ad platform and warned the Federalist

Google has taken action against two news websites over what it says are offensive remarks in their comment sections, banning one site from making money off its advertising platforms and threatening to ban the other.

One of the websites, popular financial blog ZeroHedge, has already been banned from Google’s ad platform, while right wing news site The Federalist was served with a warning that it could face a similar ban, Google said. NBC News first reported that both sites were banned and Google later clarified that The Federalist had not yet lost its ability to monetize its content.

“We have strict publisher policies that govern the content ads can run on, which includes comments on the site,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “If the site remedies the issues with derogatory or offensive comments, they can be reinstated.”

Google said in a subsequent tweet that The Federalist had removed its comment section and “no action will be taken.” ZeroHedge and The Federalist did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

$5B class suit filed against Google for violation of privacy laws

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

When you browse the internet using the Incognito mode, do you really believe that Google is not tracking what you’re seeing? Well, apparently there are “millions” of Google users that do not believe that and are in fact wanting to hold the tech giant accountable for violating privacy laws. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Google alleging that they are invading the privacy of their users by still tracking them even if they have explicitly said they want to browse incognito.

$5B class suit filed against Google for violation of privacy laws

Related:

From Citizen to Signal, the most popular apps right now reflect America’s protests: What app downloads tell us about how protesters are organizing.

YouTube Goes On Speech Suppression Spree – Deletes Channels Covering Ukraine – Golstein, ANNA, NewsFront

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Google, owner of Youtube, has unexpectedly wiped the channels of three Russian-speaking news outlets, including News Front and ANNA – explaining the decision as based on “terms of use violation.” Vladimir Golstein, whose News Front interview today is now available through VK, tees off: I have asked his permission to post his essay here on Fort Russ – Tom Winter

YouTube Goes On Speech Suppression Spree – Deletes Channels Covering Ukraine – Golstein, ANNA, NewsFront