Google has come under heavy flak in recent times for what appears to be dwindling regard for people's privacy. It truly became conspicuous on the radar of privacy watchdogs with its Street View technology. A couple of months ago, it again caused a furore by choosing to launch Buzz, a social networking extension for its Gmail service, as an “opt-out” service.
Now, as many as 10 heads of data protection authorities across the world have come together to lambast Google. In a letter addressed to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddart, has slammed the internet behemoth for “introducing services without due regard for the privacy of its users.”
The letter, dated April 19, is also signed by Stoddart's counterparts in France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom. The missive points to both Buzz and Street View as instances when Google launched a product “with such significant privacy issues.”
Stoddart has called on Google to ensure that its services honor fundamental privacy principles. The company has also been asked to outline ways in which it plans to ensure such conformity.
