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		<title>scripting.com</title>
		<dateCreated>Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:55:51 GMT</dateCreated>
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		<ownerName>Dave Winer (Larry King)</ownerName>
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		<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:55:58 GMT" text="Google did something seriously wrong">
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:56:13 GMT" text="&quot;Privacy&quot; seems like such an abstract concept. "></outline>
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:56:29 GMT" text="So your &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.businessinsider.com/warning-google-buzz-has-a-huge-privacy-flaw-2010-2&quot;&gt;privacy&lt;/a&gt; was violated. Get over it. "></outline>
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:17:15 GMT" text="&lt;img src=&quot;http://images.scripting.com/archiveScriptingCom/2010/02/14/buzz.gif&quot; width=&quot;175&quot; height=&quot;205&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; align=&quot;right&quot; hspace=&quot;15&quot; vspace=&quot;5&quot; alt=&quot;A picture named buzz.gif&quot;&gt;Here's what happened. When Google rolled out Buzz last week they activated an unknown number of users and chose people for them to follow automatically based on who they email most frequently with. Presumably these people had to also be on Gmail. And the list of people you follow is public. Therefore the list of people you email with most frequently is now public. They are now trying to close this hole as quickly as possible. But the damage is done, people have to realize that -- the information was already disclosed. You can close the door after the horse gets out but that doesn't get the horse back. "></outline>
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:19:39 GMT" text="&lt;i&gt;This never should have happened. But now that it has, it requires a CEO-level apology and statement of contrition and an explanation of what policies he's putting in place to be sure this never happens again. &lt;/i&gt;"></outline>
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:20:50 GMT" text="That has not happened, and does not appear likely to."></outline>
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:56:37 GMT" text="What if it were Eric Schmidt's privacy. I wonder if he'd feel differently. I wonder if he uses Gmail, and if he does, did they reveal the list of people he emails most frequently? I can think of all kinds of problems that might cause, with the stock market, or the SEC, partners, wives, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/02/10/iran-shuts-gmail-announces-national-e-mail-service/&quot;&gt;despots&lt;/a&gt;, girlfriends. I imagine Nick Denton at Gawker would like to see that list, and that Schmidt would not want him to."></outline>
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:06:52 GMT" text="We all have those kinds of concerns. People might get the wrong idea if they saw the list of people I email most frequently. Or they might get the &lt;i&gt;right&lt;/i&gt; idea."></outline>
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:58:12 GMT" text="Sometimes as I'm entering a message into Gmail, I wonder if the ethics of Google prohibit them from reading the mail. Sometimes I email with execs at companies that compete with Google. I think &quot;They'd probably like to know this.&quot; I wonder if they look."></outline>
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:59:04 GMT" text="Yet Google, so far, has only said they're &lt;a href=&quot;http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/google-alters-buzz-to-tackle-privacy-flaws/?partner=rss&amp;emc=rss&quot;&gt;sorry for the &quot;concern&quot;&lt;/a&gt; they've caused. That shows that they're not owning up to the breach they caused. They can't &lt;i&gt;possibly&lt;/i&gt; be so stupid as to not understand what they revealed about users of Gmail. It's just the kind of weaselly response to a building crisis that PR pros tell you not to do, that covering up will only make it worse when people realize what's really been going on. But that assumes a competent and vigilant press. That would be too much to assume in the case of Google and its coverage. "></outline>
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:00:18 GMT" text="The &lt;i&gt;Don't Be Evil&lt;/i&gt; smokescreen was pure brilliance. As Michael Gartenberg &lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/Gartenberg/status/9078163552&quot;&gt;said&lt;/a&gt; on Twitter, if Microsoft had done what Google did, there would already be lawsuits. It would be a scandal of huge proportion. "></outline>
			<outline created="Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:01:02 GMT" text="The NY Times won't call it a breach of trust by Google. Instead they attribute the claim to &quot;privacy experts.&quot; I raised this point, and predictably people say that the Times shouldn't make factual statements about companies who screw up anywhere but in editorials. That's ridiculous. A fact is a fact, and belongs in reporting. It's a fact that Google revealed sensitive information about millions of users, and now they're scurrying to try to cover it up. And the press is helping them buy time. Why? I have no clue, but I don't like it. "></outline>
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