Google breached Australians’ privacy: Commissioner IT News
Google Australia breached the Privacy Act when it inadvertently collected data from private wireless networks using its Street View cars, Australian Privacy Commissioner Karen Curtis said today. In response, the search and advertising giant was forced to publicly apologise. And it must conduct privacy-impact assessments “on any new Street View data collection activities in Australia that include personal information” in the future, and to submit these to Curtis, she said. “Collecting personal information in these circumstances is a very serious matter,” Curtis said. [When will the Google scapegoats be named?]

Google Street View accused of Congress ‘snooping’ BBC
Google’s popular Street View project may have collected personal information of members of Congress, including some involved in national security issues. The claim was made by leading advocacy group, Consumer Watchdog which wants Congress to hold hearings into what data Google’s Street View possesses. Google admitted it mistakenly collected information, transmitted over unsecured wireless networks, as its cars filmed locations for mapping purposes. Google said the problem began in 2006. The issue came to light when German authorities asked to audit the data. The search giant said the snippets could include parts of an email, text, photograph, or even the website someone might be viewing. “We think the Google Wi-Spy effort is one of the biggest wire tapping scandals in US history,” John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog told BBC News.

China Renews Google’s License NewYork Times
The tense standoff that began in January with Google’s unprecedented rebuke of China’s Internet censorship rules appeared to ease on Friday with a compromise that might allow both sides to claim a partial victory. Google said that Beijing agreed to renew the company’s license to operate a Web site in mainland China, months after Google said it would stop censoring search results in China. Google’s challenge of Beijing’s authority, which followed a series of sophisticated online attacks which Google said originated in China, put into question Google’s ability to do any business in the world’s largest Internet market. [Interesting how a US advertising company deals on a national policy level with a Communist regime.]

Privacy, Trust and Innovation – submission to the Digital Economy Consultation OPC
We’ve just sent in our submission to the Digital Economy Consultation, available online here.In our submission, we argue that privacy isn’t an impediment to innovation. Rather, we believe privacy can support innovation by reinforcing confidence in users that they have the right to control their personal information and that the technology they use is secure. Too often privacy is left out of the design stage, and fixes after the fact can be expensive. We recommend that privacy become an integral part of the business models that rely on technology. We want to see a privacy culture that complements Canada’s digital advantage and, in our submission, we put forward a number of recommendations on how the federal government can help build one. First of all we recommend strengthening privacy protections within the federal government. We’ve written previously about the need to reform the Privacy Act, but we think the federal government can go even further in being a model user of technology – for example, we’d like to see the federal government make Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) analysis a requirement as part of preparing Memoranda to Cabinet for program approvals. We’d also welcome the federal government’s use of state-of-the-art authentication and protection technologies. Other countries are already exploring this, including the United States, where they are looking at how open-source products and standards can be used to provide identity verification.

Teen activist refuses to shake PM’s hand QMI Agency
Would you shake Harper’s hand? When Jeremy Dyer was selected to represent his province because of his human rights art, he had no idea he’d find himself in line to shake Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s hand. The notion was an affront to Dyer, an activist who vehemently disagrees with many of Harper’s policies. Dyer, 19, who hails from St. John’s, N.L., was at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, where he and 11 other young people from around the country were on hand to display their human rights-themed artwork. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were both in attendance, as the Queen unveiled a cornerstone to the museum. Then, standing in front of cameras alongside his peers, Dyer heard rumblings the prime minister was en route. ‘I didn’t know until literally minutes before,’ said the Memorial University student. ‘I was pretty outraged that he was going to be there… I told them I would politely decline to shake his hand if he attempted.’

MySpace to stop free music streaming – the end is near Side Line Music
The free streaming on MySpace may soon be history. According to people close to the News Corp. owned company, MySpace wants to move its MySpace Music section to a paid model. At the moment MySpace is rumoured to be spending $20 million/month (!) on streaming royalties. However sources close to MySpace say that the royalty payments are a lot lower although the service is indeed burning money at a fast pace. Fact is that News Corp. have a huge cash flow problem with the company. The Google search deal is up this month and MySpace sees a $300 million/year in revenue evaporate.

Record Studios Sue Porn Websites Courthouse News Service
Major recording studios sued pay-to-see Internet website operators, claiming they violate copyright by synchronizing pornographic videos to songs by major artists. The studios claim that Miami-based RK Netmedia and Realitykings.com “are engaged in copyright infringement of the most blatant and offensive kind.” They want the websites shut down, and punitive damages. Warner Bros. and others claim the unlicensed use of their recordings in pornographic videos “tarnishes” the songs and “diminishes their value.”

PM laughs off egg incident Big Pond News
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has laughed off an egg-throwing incident in Perth and apologised to the policewoman who was splattered instead of her. Ms Gillard was entering the ABC studios in East Perth at about 9.30am (WST) on Friday when a man threw the egg, missing her but hitting the policewoman in the back.Police swiftly subdued a 55-year-old man from North Beach in the city’s north and have charged him with common assault. WA Police later defended the level of security around the prime minister, saying it was appropriate for the risks assessed for that location.

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