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Google Privacy Lawsuit: Google Chrome Incognito Records and Shares Private User Data

Google is being sued in a class-action lawsuit filed on June 2 for the invasion of privacy and sharing users’ data, even when they browse in ‘private mode’.

Google, the internet search giant has been accused of illegally invading the privacy of millions of users by pervasively tracking their internet use through browsers even those set in Google Chrome’s “incognito” mode or private browsing.

According to Reuters on June 3, the class action lawsuit is seeking damages of around $5 billion dollars. The lawsuit accuses Google of covertly collecting private data from users regarding their online behavior even when they use Google Chrome Incognito mode.

As alleged in the official complaint, Google gathers users data through Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager and other applications and website plug-ins. The complaint filed in San Jose, California states that this data is collected regardless of whether users click on Google-supported ads or not.

The complaint asserts that this data collection occurs, “Even when those individuals expressly follow Google’s recommendations to prevent the tracking or collection of their personal information and communications.”

The case is filed under Brown et al v Google LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 20-03664.

Google Incognito Disclaimer Defense

A Google spokesman, Jose Castaneda has responded to the class action lawsuit, asserting that the internet search behemoth will defend against the allegations and has highlighted a clear disclaimer.

Castaneda said, “As we clearly state each time you open a new Incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity.”

The complaint suggests that the proposed class-action lawsuit against Google encompasses millions of users since June 1, 2016 who have been under the impression that they have been surfing the web privately.

Is Decentralized Privacy the Solution?

The recent increase in reported incidents of surveillance and security breaches compromising users’ online browsing privacy, calls into question the current model used by service providers, in which central third-parties like Google are able to collect and control massive amounts of personal data.

According to a new report, blockchain may be a possible and more secure alternative to the current centralized model. Bitcoin has demonstrated in the financial space that trusted auditable computing is possible using a decentralized network of peers accompanied by a public ledger.

In the paper entitled, ‘Decentralizing Privacy: Using Blockchain to Protect Personal Data’, the authors describe a decentralized personal data management system that ensures users own and control their data. By implementing a protocol that turns a blockchain into an automated access-control manager that does not require trust in a third party.

Unlike Bitcoin, transactions using the proposed system will not be strictly financial – but will be used to carry instructions, such as storing, querying, and sharing data.

In light of the increasing allegations against trusted central providers such as Google and Facebook: the control of private user data could likely be a possible future extension to blockchains, harnessing the technology into a well-rounded solution for trusted computing problems in society.

Image via Shutterstock

China's Blockchain Initiative Hits Roadblock as Stakeholders Refuse to Share Private Data for Free

China’s blockchain initiative is going ahead full steam, but local and provincial officials are facing some resistance from stakeholders who are not enthusiastic about sharing their data.

Chinese local governments are facing delays when attempting to implement their blockchain applications as stakeholders are trying to hold on to their privately-owned data, reported media site CCTV Beijing.

Blockchain technology has become a hot item in China over the years, and the rise in research, development, and implementation of local governments has surged following Chinese Leader Xi Jinping announcement last October that the country must strive to become the global blockchain leader.

Data is not Free

In China, there are currently more than 30 local governments developing blockchain infrastructure and applications. According to the CCTV report on June 10, the central aim is to leverage blockchain technology to enhance local governance capabilities.

However, many of these local government blockchain projects have been abandoned in the last two years as they are unable to obtain the necessary supporting data from local stakeholders.

A government staff member of one of the local blockchain projects, Zhang Desheng told the Chinese media that there was no clear policy framework for the projects, which created huge gaps in communication between government’s employees and private stakeholders. They said, “The data required by the entire blockchain management platform involves local banks, insurance, telecommunications, and other departments, some departments are willing to provide data, and some are not.”

Vice president of China Digital Asset Research Institute, Yan Meng, who has long shown concern regarding blockchain development believes that data is not free and neither government nor private sectors would be willing to donate. As such, Meng thinks that any requested data should be purchased.

Meng shared, “The basic logic of most blockchain applications is problematic. If we want to make a blockchain, we first need to collect data from different government departments or some different companies on the blockchain.” He continued, “The advantage of blockchains is that they cannot be tampered with and easy to trace. This idea sounds good, but in practice, which department or enterprise is going to be willing to donate their data for free? And then put it on a chain so that everyone can view it? The core problem of this resistance is that data especially for the government and enterprises is their main resource. At least pay for it, these problems weren’t taken it into account, it is the biggest problem at the moment.”

What is DTube?

DTube is a decentralized video sharing platform launched in August 2017 by Adrien Marie, and is one of the most popular decentralized alternatives to YouTube.

As per the name DTube, which stands for “decentralized tube,” it is a decentralized app (Dapp) run on the Avalon blockchain, a novel social media blockchain with a delegated proof of stake consensus protocol. To immunize videos to censorship, the video files are stored in a decentralized file system (IPFS) among peers of the network – if one peer node fails, the file will flow to the next node.

The philosophy behind DTube leverages decentralized web technologies and cryptography to provide an alternative platform to private social media outlets like YouTube or Facebook, which according to DTube founder Marie, have broken their trust to the users with a lack of transparency and unfair censorship and monetization policies.

How DTube Works

Originally launched on the STEEM blockchain, DTube developed their unique lower-layer blockchain, Avalon, to improve the platform’s scalability and introduce new concepts and utilities.

Among these new features, Avalon ensures that all community contributions such as posts, votes, and tags receive rewards in the form of Dtube Coin (DTC), which is produced and distributed by the blockchain.

Users are incentivized to contribute to the community by earning DTC, which gives them voting power at a rate of 1 DTC/ 1 VP/ 1 hour. Voting power, in turn, allows users the opportunity to earn more DTC by curating content, uploading posts, sharing, commenting, etc. by spending that power. This model incentivizes users to refrain from taking their DTC out of their wallet and exchanging it for another currency, as they would lose all their voting power and stake in the game.

The blockchain relies on a delegated proof of stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, whereby community members elect “leaders” who then validate and mine the blockchain, and implement future changes based on the community’s votes.

DTube follows the principle of “one chain – one app,” in that each app has their own specific blockchain. For DTube, their native blockchain Avalon allows for effective on-chain governance, instead of depending on the STEEM blockchain, which is home to hundreds of different apps, to implement community-specific changes.

DTube’s Mission

DTube offers solutions to these issues with existing social media platforms:

Censorship

De-monetization based on advertising pressures

Invasion of privacy through the collection of personal data

An unfair revenue sharing model

By using decentralized technologies, DTube aims to recreate trust between the platform and its community, giving members the power to moderate content, and fairly distributes earnings to members without censorship of free speech, the invasion of individual privacy, or bombarding viewers with intrusive advertisements.

The Economics

One of the main differences between DTube and standard social media platforms is their economic model. With private social media platforms, content creators earn less than 50% of the total revenue, with the majority going to the private company that runs the platform and to advertisers.

On DTube, 90% of the revenue goes to community content creators and curators, with only 10% going to the Dtube commission that is responsible for running the blockchain and further developing it.

On DTube, there are no ads. Instead, a small percentage of the revenue from each video goes to the developers and community leaders.

By protecting creators’ freedoms of speech and privacy, and including the passive “watchers” of the community into the economic model, DTube has the potential to be a really vibrant and successful platform.

The challenge will be to also welcome advertisers and transition them away from the mainstream social media outlets.