[IRP] Google chief: only miscreants worry about net privacy

[Katitza Rodriguez]

In reply to this email, here it is a wonderful quote from Stavros  
Lambridinis, EU MEP (Greece)
at the closing remarks of the Madrid Privacy Meeting.

"if you have nothing to hide, then you don't have a life: get a life!"

Here it is another paper regarding the "I've got nothing to hide" paper.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=998565



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Google chief: only miscreants worry about net privacy
'If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it'
By Cade Metz in San Francisco
7th December 2009 19:56 GMT
The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/07/schmidt_on_privacy/

If you're concerned about Google retaining your personal data, then you
must be doing something you shouldn't be doing. At least that's the word
from Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you
shouldn't be doing it in the first place," Schmidt tells CNBC, sparking
howls of incredulity from the likes of Gawker.

But the bigger news may be that Schmidt has actually admitted there are
cases where the search giant is forced to release your personal data.

"If you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search
engines - including Google - do retain this information for some time
and it's important, for example, that we are all subject in the United
States to the Patriot Act and it is possible that all that information
could be made available to the authorities."

There's also the possibility of subpoenas. And hacks. But if any of this
bothers you, you should be ashamed of yourself. According to Eric  
Schmidt.

Gawker highlights the irony of Schmidt's typically haughty
proclamations. After all, this is the man who banned CNet for a year
after the news site published information about him it had gleaned from,
yes, Google.

But the larger point here is that Schmidt isn't even addressing the
issue at hand. Per usual. When the privacy question appears, Google
likes to talk about the people asking the questions. But the problem
lies elsewhere: with the millions upon millions blissfully unaware of
the questions.

If you're concerned about your online privacy, you can always put the
kibosh on Google's tracking cookies. You can avoid signing in to Google
accounts. And, yes, you can avoid using Google for anything Eric Schmidt
thinks you shouldn't be doing. But most web users don't even realize
Google is hoarding their data.

CNBC asks Schmidt: "People are treating Google like their most trusted
friend. Should they be?" But he answers by scoffing at those who don't
trust Google at all.

Not that you'd expect anything less. As always, Schmidt's
holier-than-thou attitude is wonderfully amusing. Except that it's not.
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