Google‘s unified privacy policy and its sharing between services have seen it fall foul of another European country’s data protection rules, with Dutch authorities accusing the search giant of breaking the law. “Google spins an invisible web of our personal data, without our consent” the Dutch data protection authority said today, revealing that it has […]
Back in 2012, Google updated their policy in which they decided to share user data across Google’s own range of services that it provided to the public. Unfortunately it seems that over in the Netherlands, the Dutch authorities have deemed that this act of sharing user data is illegal, with the Dutch Data Protection Authority claiming that Google does not “properly inform users which personal data the company collects and combines, and for what purposes,” as stated in their press release. The authorities are claiming that Google is in the wrong but at the same time don’t have any immediate plans to punish Google over this.
Google however does not seem to think that they are in the wrong, stating that their privacy policy actually respects the European law, with Google releasing a statement to Computer World saying, “We have engaged fully with the Dutch DPA throughout this process and will continue to do so going forward.” Google is expected to attend a hearing in which they will face the DPA’s decision and also possibly collaborate on how better to proceed with these issues. This is not the first time that Google has been under fire for these new policies, as the French data protection authority have also launched a similar investigation of their own in which Google could possibly be fined €150,000.
Dutch Authorities Finds That Google Violated Its Data Protection Act original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Google Glass is relatively new technology and has slowly started to make its way into the mainstream through early adoption by developers as part of Google’s Explorer program. That being said society has yet to adjust itself to the notion that one day Glass could become as commonplace as smartphones or tablets, and lately it seems that one particular restaurant in Seattle, the Lost Lake Café & Lounge, decided to give a patron by the name of Nick Starr who wore Google Glass in the establishment, an ultimatum in which he could remove his Glass or leave the restaurant. According to Starr, he stated that while the owner’s other restaurant banned Google Glass, there was no policy in this particular restaurant that said he couldn’t wear it.
What made it more ironic was the fact that the restaurant’s menu actually encouraged users to take photos and tag them using the #LostLake tag. The restaurant has since responded on their Facebook page with a statement clarifying the policies, albeit rather rudely, saying, “And if we ask you to leave, for God’s sake, don’t start yelling about your “rights”. Just shut up and get out before you make things worse.” This is actually the second time that the café’s owner, David Meinert, makes the headlines over a no-Glass policy. We had previously reported that Meinert’s other establishment, a bar, also banned Google Glass from being worn in their establishment.
Like we said Google Glass is relatively new technology that has slowly creeped into the mainstream, so it is understandable that some establishments might not be too willing to embrace it without fully understanding what it does and why it was created, but what do you guys think?
Seattle Restaurant Ejects Patron For Wearing Google Glass original content from Ubergizmo. 
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A lawsuit against Apple over iOS location tracking and infringed privacy has been dropped after two years, with the same judge that recently awarded the Cupertino firm $290m in damages from Samsung ruling that outraged iPhone users hadn’t demonstrated any legitimate violations. The case, filed back in 2011, saw four iOS users complain that their […]
There is that popular saying, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, but it seems that Apple reckons that they can make an exception over in Brazil where the Cupertino company has managed to land themselves in a spot of trouble with the Brazil Consumer Protection Secretariat department. For the most part, Apple charges its iTunes customers using currency based on where the user is located, or has set their location, so for example in the US we’d be charged using USD, and in UK we’d be charged using GBP.
However in Brazil, oddly enough Apple has been charging their customers in USD as opposed to using the Brazilian Real currency, and actually requires customers to pay with an international credit card as opposed to accepting a local credit card that uses Brazilian currency. The ministry has given Apple 10 days to respond to their inquiry especially since charging in a foreign currency is considered to be illegal in Brazil. Assuming Apple does not respond in time, they could be facing a fine of about $2.6 million.
This is not the first time that Apple has faced criticism over its pricing choices in foreign markets. It wasn’t too long ago that companies such as Apple and Adobe were questioned by the Australian government on why prices in their country was higher than others.
Brazilian Government Wants To Know Why Apple Charges In USD For Brazilian iTunes original content from Ubergizmo. 
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In most countries, using social media as a means to voice your displeasure of the government and/or policies is accepted and considered legal to a certain extent, but it seems that there are countries where it is not allowed, and Vietnam is one of them. This new law was announced this week and will see citizens arrested and fined if they were to post on social media where they criticize the government. While the law itself is fairly vague (perhaps purposely so), it states that it will punish those who use social media to spread propaganda against the state or spread reactionary ideologies.
There are those who oppose this new law, with the US Embassy in Hanoi expressing their deep concern and has reached out the Vietnamese officials, stating, “Fundamental freedoms apply online just as they do offline.” Nonprofit organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have also spoken out against this on their blog, claiming that “Internet freedom has gone from bad to worse in Vietnam.” We’re not sure if the Vietnamese government will change their mind or stance on this matter even when faced with pressure from the outside, but in the meantime it looks like bloggers and journalists who might not be fans of the current government will have to watch what they say.
Critiquing The Vietnamese Government On Social Media Could Lead To Fines/Arrests original content from Ubergizmo. 
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A German court has ruled that the Wikimedia Foundation is responsible for content contained in Wikipedia articles, which any third-party can alter. Though the Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart has held the foundation liable in its ruling, it does not require Wikimedia to fact-check articles before they are made live, which would have resulted in […]
This summer, Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm Warg was sentenced to jail in Sweden after being sent there from Cambodia, where he was arrested after having received a sentence back in 2009 that ultimately resulted in a multi-million fine. Warg was sentenced in Sweden over a separate hacking charge, and now faces additional woes as […]
Samsung and Apple have been fighting in court for a long time over allegations of patent infringement on both sides. Apple won the case against Samsung for patent infringement having to do with Samsung infringing on patents for Apple features like pinch to zoom. The jury made an award to Apple in that case, but […]
Amazon has been the target of an undercover report that looked into working conditions for employees at its warehouse near Swansea, something that will air this evening on the BBC’s Panorama. The undercover report shows unfavorable conditions that could prove unhealthy to workers, but Amazon has spoken out against such claims, saying that it has […]
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