US 11 lawmakers ask FTC to investigate whether Buzz social networking products violate user privacy

Absrtact: Beijing time March 30 news, according to foreign media reports, the United States 11 members of Congress asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Google's launch of the Buzz social networking products are violations of user privacy investigation.

The 11 delegates from the House Energy and Commerce Committee include 6 Democrats and 5 Republican lawmakers. In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, they noted that Google's Buzz products leaked the privacy information of Google's Gmail users. "As many people's online privacy information is directly or indirectly affected by buzz, we feel it is necessary to ask the FTC to investigate whether Google Buzz leaked user privacy information," they said. ”

In public buzz, which was first released this February, program editors often send emails or chat lists of Gmail contacts, and automatically start tracking those contacts, which are public, so that strangers can easily get contact with buzz users. Google's approach has provoked strong opposition from Gmail users, and Google has modified buzz. "The transparency and control of users is critical to Google," a spokesman for Google said in response. When we realized that we inadvertently made many users uneasy, we quickly took action to improve the product to eliminate user concerns. We are ready to accept the views of users, improve our products and services. ”

The lawmakers asked the FTC to question Google on four issues, including whether Google would revise its Gmail privacy policy and disclose their information to the user's permission. Lawmakers also want to know whether Google uses personal information collected through buzz to publish targeted ads, and how Google's proposed acquisition of Mobile Advertiser AdMob will have an impact on user privacy.

In mid-March, Pamela Jones Harbour, a Federal Trade commission commissioner, Hubbell Google's Buzz products, saying it was an "irresponsible product". The US Electronic Privacy Information Center also filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission in February, saying Google's launch of Buzz was an unfair and fraudulent business, violating Google's privacy policy and the Federal Wiretapping Act.