EFF Updates Privacy Score Card, Google, Amazon, and Twitter Top the List

Posted 04/20/2011 at 2:44pm | by Ryan Whitwam

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Everyone from Congressional heavyweights to Joe Internet on the street is concerned about privacy these days. So it's a fitting time for the EFF to release their updated Privacy Score Card. This handy document tells you which companies are looking after your online privacy, and which aren’t. You might be surprised by the standings.

Companies gain points with the EFF when they do things like inform users when the government requests their data, issue reports on the frequency of governmental data requests, or go to court to fight said requests. When the dust settled, Google, Amazon, and Twitter top the list. Yahoo and Facebook brought up the rear.

Google might seem an unexpected winner after the Buzz debacle, but the search giant has also done things like refuse to turn over user search records to the Justice Department. Twitter has been informing users when the government has requested their data, allowing them to contest the action in court. Amazon is seen as being all around tight with user data as well.

Companies like Yahoo and Facebook got the lowest scores, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Both companies have onerous terms of service. What tech companies do you trust with your data?