In response to growing global criticism about Google’s corporate inability to adopt 21st Century privacy protections for its many users, the company attempts to hide behind so-called “technical” postings from its staff. For example, Alma Whitten’s Feb. 22, 2008 post entitled “Are IP addresses personal” is part of Google’s campaign to counter recent moves by European Union privacy officials to have search engines using IP addresses to come under the safeguards of the European Data Directive. The Article 29 Working Party issued the following statement last week: “Search engines fall under the EU data protection directive if there are controllers collecting users’ IP addresses or search history information, and therefore have to comply with relevant provisions.â€
Google shouldn’t be asking Ms. Whitten to defend the company’s business practices. They should have someone who is willing to acknowledge that Google’s business model depends on the collection and use of a broad range of personally-related data. After all, Google is in the micro-targeting part of the advertising business–that where 99% of all its revenues come from. Its acquisition of cookie-tracking giant DoubleClick is all based on its plans to expand the company’s ability to collect user data for micro-targeting. Google’s recent moves on privacy haven’t been done because the company is benevolent: it’s being forced into this posture by pressure from regulators and privacy advocates. Every time Google isn’t candid about its operations, plans and its public policy implications, it damages the company’s reputation. Who at Google cares more about taking honest responsibility for its business practices, than resorting to a feeble attempt to distract the debate?
