Google rated as 'Hostile' towards privacy by rights group Privacy International

  Rights group Privacy International has released the results of a six month study into the approach of leading internet players such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, BBC, Amazon and eBay amonst many others. The report; a 'race to the bottom' reviewed 20 leading sites and found none of them to be 'privacy friendly' with many posing 'serious threats' to the rights and protection of individuals. However, Google was rated as worst in the study with the group citing 'numerous deficiencies and hostilities' ultimately posing an 'endemic threat to privacy'. Whilst Google naturally sought to counter the claims, suggesting the findings were based on outdated information, one cannot help but feel this is likely to be a recurring theme for some time to come.

In fact, the report comes hot on the heels of an investigation by EPIC in April of this year into the purchase of DoubleClick by Google. The report highlights a number of privacy concerns over the data protection services  of both business's and is a must read for anyone interested in the whole issue of Data Protection and Privacy.

Whilst the sheers size and growth of Google makes them a somewhat easy target, these skimishes do in fact serve to highlight many of the complicated issues business's face in trying to respect and protect the privacy of the individual with the need to provide efficient, profitable services.

I myself am involved in a start-up business (Adinuff) that seeks to challange the way established companies manage, administer, respect, promote and ultimately reward individuals for sharing their personal information. Adinuff seeks to redress the 'balance of power' between individuals and companies, where the latter have for far too long simply ignored privacy laws or hidden behind complex terms and conditions. Whilst it's still early days for Adinuff, we will be monitoring the Google fracas closely to see what the likely outcome will be and ensure we remain 'privacy positive'.