Email I received Tuesday evening, 9:49pm ET: “Google rarely contacts Gmail users via email, but we are making an exception to let you know that we’ve reached a settlement in a lawsuit regarding Google Buzz, a service we launched within Gmail in February of this year. Shortly after its launch, we heard from a number of people who were concerned about privacy. In addition, we were sued by a group of Buzz users and recently reached a settlement in this case. The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address users’ concerns. In addition, Google has committed $8.5 million to an independent fund, most of which will support organizations promoting privacy education and policy on the web. We will also do more to educate people about privacy controls specific to Buzz. The more people know about privacy online, the better their online experience will be. Just to be clear, this is not a settlement in which people who use Gmail can file to receive compensation. Everyone in the U.S. who uses Gmail is included in the settlement, unless you personally decide to opt out before December 6, 2010. The Court will consider final approval of the agreement on January 31, 2011. This email is a summary of the settlement, and more detailed information and instructions approved by the court, including instructions about how to opt out, object, or comment, are available at http://www.BuzzClassAction.com.”
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Daily Archives: November 2, 2010
Google Files Bid Protest Against Dept. of Interior Over Hosted Email and Collaboration Services
The complaint, Google Inc. vs. The United States, filed Ocotber 29, 2010 in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, is here. “This action protests the terms of U.S. Department of the Interior (“DOI”) Request for Quotation 503786 (“RFQ”) for hosted email and collaboration services and DOI’s supporting “Limited Source Justification”, and seeks preliminary and permanent… Continue Reading
UKFrance Summit 2010 Declaration on Defence and Security Co-operation
Tuesday 2 November 2010: UKFrance Summit 2010 Declaration on Defence and Security Co-operation “The UK and France are natural partners in security and defence. As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, NATO Allies, European Union members, and Nuclear Weapons States, we share many common interests and responsibilities. We are proud of our outstanding… Continue Reading
Ditigal Version of UK Times Gains 105,000 Readers
NYT: “The News Corporation said on Tuesday that it had gained 105,000 paying customers for the digital versions of The Times and The Sunday Times of London since it started charging for access to their Web sites this summer. The company said about half of those additions were regular, active subscribers to the newspapers Web… Continue Reading
FTC Approves Modified Intel Settlement Order
News release: “Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a modified settlement order resolving charges that Intel Corp. illegally stifled competition in the market for computer chips. The FTC Order will open the door to renewed competition and prevent Intel from suppressing competition in the future. After considering public comments, the… Continue Reading
National League of Cities: Recessions Effects Intensify in Cities
News release: “Cities finances continue to weaken under the strain of the recession, resulting in cities being less able to meet their fiscal needs in 2011 and beyond. According to the National League of Cities annual report on cities fiscal conditions, financial officers report the largest spending cuts and loss of revenue in the 25-year… Continue Reading
Proceedings of a Workshop on Deterring CyberAttacks: Informing Strategies and Developing Options for U.S. Policy
Proceedings of a Workshop on Deterring CyberAttacks: Informing Strategies and Developing Options for U.S. Policy, October 2010. “In a world of increasing dependence on information technology, the prevention of cyberattacks on a nation’s important computer and communications systems and networks is a problem that looms large. Given the demonstrated limitations of passive cybersecurity defense measures,… Continue Reading
UK National Infrastructure Plan 2010
“The Government has published a National Infrastructure Plan outlining the Governments vision for the future of UK economic infrastructure. This is the first ever infrastructure plan for the UK. It outlines the scale of the challenge facing UK infrastructure and the major investment that is needed to underpin sustainable growth in the UK. It focuses… Continue Reading
DHS Risk Lexicon
“Developed by the DHS Risk Steering Committee (RSC), the purpose of the DHS Risk Lexicon is to establish and make available a comprehensive list of terms and meanings relevant to the practice of homeland security risk management and analysis. Accomplishing this goal improves the capability of the Department to assess and manage homeland security risk.… Continue Reading
