Google Inc (GOOG) Faces Privacy Battle From Former Employees

Updated on

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) face a new opponent in its battle over the way it deals with user’s privacy. Former employees of the search behemoth have launched a plug in for the firm’s browser chrome that blocks tracking attempts by Google and other internet services that track users browsing. The employees involved have started a company with its chief URL at Disconnect.me that supplies the plugin at no charge. The aim of the software is to stop the infringement on users privacy that has many rattled.

The service blocks tracking from Google, Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and Yahoo. A spokesperson said the company was hoping to add more websites to the list in the future. The company managed to collect $600,000 from venture capital last year and attracts over 400,000 weekly users. The operators are abundantly clear that their service does not track users in any way and is not a proxy allowing them to collect the information Google would otherwise receive. The service is certainly one to watch as users become more aware of their security relationships with the websites and services they use.

Google’s privacy worries have been at the forefront of many analysts mind as the media continues to cover the company’s repeated transgressions in the area.The new privacy policy introduced by the company has been the subject of much popular ire and has resulted in an investigation by European authorities seeking to ascertain the legality of the new agreement. Google claimed the agreement was simply an attempt to make all of its services consistent with regard to user privacy and security. The company has also come under fire recently for an exploit it used in Apple’s Safari browser that allowed it to track the movements of web browsers. That story had them in trouble and under investigation by both the Federal Trade Commission and European authorities who included it in their other investigation.

The company continues to face a barrage of complaint in relation to its practice and if their attitude continues it may be only a matter of time before this has a real impact on the company’s value. People are becoming increasingly skeptical of the web giant’s “Don’t Be Evil” slogan which it says is its first rule of operation. The push back against the company’s constant privacy problems will require a change of image by the company if it wants to keep any of the good will it has accumulated in the past decade as the web’s most popular search provider.

Leave a Comment