DO NO EVIL? Google Sued For Data-Mining Kids' Emails in Its Education App

[kpete]

March 20, 2014 |
Google has been rocked by another scandal - this time, it's our children's privacy under attack. The company is facing a lawsuit over data-mining student emails in a bid for advertisements in the company’s Apps for Education tool suite for schools, Info Docket reported.

The U.S District Court for the Northern District of California is currently hearing the complaint, in which nine plaintiffs allege the data-mining practices behind Google’s Gmail electronic messaging service violates federal and state wiretap and privacy laws. Gmail is a key feature of the Google Apps for Education which is used by schools and institutions of higher education through the world for free, boasting some 30 million users worldwide.

Google admitted in a sworn statement that it scans millions of students’ email messages to compile keywords for advertisements, despite not displaying any visual ads on its app. The company has also come under fire for allegedly using information from the scans to build “surreptitious” profiles of users that could be used for such purposes as targeted advertising.

The new developments raise major concerns about the compatibility between US child protection laws and “big data,” Education Week reported prompting major calls for the company to be more open about its policies.





http://www.alternet.org/education/do-no-evil-google-sued-data-mining-kids-emails-its-education-app

[jsr]

1. They're building a dossier on every child

[onehandle]

2. Their 'free' services are not free.

You can replace most all of their 'free' services for just a few dollars a year.

And some of their services, like maps for instance, you can still use for free.

Don't sign in under any circumstance. Don't surrender to the data Borg.

[jsr]

4. 5 Google Opt-Out Settings To Check:

http://www.informationweek.com/software/social/5-google-opt-out-settings-to-check/d/d-id/1113405

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Also, opt out of their Google Location history which archives your GPS coordinates.

[TheNutcracker]

3. Today in the Tech Times google says it's putting in provisions to stop NSA spying. laughable!

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/4631/20140321/google-amps-up-https-gmail-protections-to-combat-nsa-spying.htm

[jsr]

5. You can't trust anything Silicon Valley says when it comes to privacy