Privacy commissioner probing Google Buzz

[CHIMO]

Source: CBC News

Concerns around Google's recently unveiled Buzz feature are deepening with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada looking into the social-networking tool.

Valerie Lawton, a spokesperson for the office, said on Tuesday that Buzz is being investigated to see whether it violates Canadian privacy laws.

"We understand the public concern about privacy issues related to Google Buzz," she said. "Our office is looking at the issue."

In the United States, the Electronic Privacy Information Center said it plans to lodge a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission because Buzz is forcing Gmail users into a social networking service they don't necessarily want.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/02/16/google-buzz-privacy.html

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February 16, 2010 | 6:10 PM ET

[Newsjock]

1. Sad that we don't have a "privacy commissioner"

But that's life in 21st-century Ewe Ess Eh.

[damyank913]

3. 1st place I would put him to work are the credit reporting agencies.

[onehandle]

2. The American FTC is also investigating. ALSO: Security bug opens Google Buzz to hackers

A common Web programming error could give hackers a way to take over Google Buzz accounts, a security expert said Tuesday. The flaw is a “medium-sized problem” with the Buzz for Mobile Web site, said Robert Hansen, CEO of SecTheory, who first reported the issue.

This type of Web programming error, called a cross-site scripting flaw, lets the attacker put his own scripting code into Web pages that belong to trusted Web sites such as Google.com. It is a fairly common flaw but one that can have major consequences when exploited on widely used Web sites.

The attacker “can force you to say things you don’t want to say, to follow people,” he said. “Whatever Google Buzz allows you to do, it allows him to do to you.”

Because attackers can use the flaw to put their content on the Google.com domain, they could also create phishing attacks against Google users, Hansen said.

http://www.macworld.com/article/146480/2010/02/googlebuzz_hack.html

[boppers]

6. XSS is silly, and fun.

It falls into the "don't believe everything you read" category.

It's a problem, for sure, but it's the same problem as trojans, it's morons who run scripts, programs, whatever.

The intellectual equivalent would be people who load up a floppy, flash disk, website, that they "found".

[ShockediSay]

4. Is Google too big NOT to be a target? n/t

[pundaint]

5. No offence to our neighbors to the North, but Canada has better American values than us.

[damyank913]

7. Anyone watch that special on Google on CNBC recently?

The most interesting thing that I came away with is that Google NEVER discards any search inquiries-NEVER. They do this thing called anonimizing so that the person doing the search can not be easily identified. Key operative word there is "EASILY".