When it comes to protecting the privacy of its users , Google order worse than any other net party , accord to an interim written report by Privacy International . The external watchdog group also accused Google of engage in a smear hunting expedition in answer to its determination , and demanded an apology .

Privacy International’sfindings , establish on six month of research , placed Google at the bottom of 23 cyberspace caller examined by the group . Google was the only troupe to bring in the bottom ranking , for “ comprehensive consumer surveillance and encroach hostility to secrecy . ”

Other companies , such as Microsoft and Yahoo , rated more or less better that Google . Microsoft was given a rating of four out of six , for “ serious lapse in secrecy practice . ” Yahoo was given a ranking of five of six , one good than Google , for “ satisfying and comprehensive concealment threats . ”

“ We are aware that the decision to point Google at the bottom of the ranking is potential to be controversial , but throughout our inquiry we have obtain numerous deficiencies and ill will in Google ’s approach to privacy that go well beyond those of other organizations , ” Privacy International said .

In particular , the chemical group cited the heavy amount of data that Google compile about its users and deficiency of privacy controls . “ Google ’s increasing ability to deep - drill into the minutia of a drug user ’s spirit and life-style choices must in our view be mate with well defined and mature user controls and an equally mature privacy outlook , ” Privacy International suppose . “ Neither of these elements has been demonstrated . ”

Privacy International plans to cut a last report in September . Google executive were not now available to annotate on the report ’s findings .

But anopen letterto Google CEO Eric Schmidt from Privacy International Director Simon Davies accuse the ship’s company of engaging in a smudge campaign in response to the group ’s findings . “ Two European diarist have independently told us that Google representative have contacted them with the claim that ‘ Privacy International has a conflict of interest group regarding Microsoft . ’ I assume this was move because Microsoft make an overall good result than Google in the rankings , ” Davies wrote .

Google allegedly claimed a conflict of involvement exist because one of 70 people on Privacy International ’s board of advisors is a current Microsoft employee . Davies rejected the boot and listed five vital action the group has taken against Microsoft , including bread and butter for the European Commission ’s investigation into Microsoft .

“ Can I be so bluff as to suggest that your company ’s actions staunch from sour grapeshot that you achieved the lowest ranking amongst the Internet giants ? ” Davies wrote , postulate an excuse from Schmidt .

This is n’t the first time that Privacy International has raised privacy concerns about Google . In 2004 , the chemical group filed a seclusion ailment over Google ’s Gmail service with regulators in France , Germany , the Netherlands , Greece , Italy , Spain , the Czech Republic , Belgium , Denmark , Sweden , Ireland , Portugal , Poland , Austria , Australia and Canada , as well as with the European Commission .

To engagement , Google has rejected concerns over the information it gathers and stores about users . Speaking recently in South Korea , Schmidt dismissed seclusion concern over the data point collected by the ship’s company , saying users distressed about privateness can always choose not to expend the company ’s services . He also said Google edit information about user after a sure period of time , but did not say how long that menses is .

Privacy concern about Google have also been raised over the company ’s acquisition of DoubleClick , spark off an investigation by the U.S. Fair Trade Commission ( FTC ) . That investigation is ongoing .

While Google has pack flack from critic for its privacy policies , the company has acted to protect substance abuser in at least one case : in January 2006 , Google was the only companionship to resist a U.S. Department of Justice ( DOJ ) subpoena ad testificandum for a random sampling of 1 million vane addresses that exploiter searched for .

AOL , Microsoft , and Yahoo did not fight the DOJ ’s request , which did not seek data that would have identified the user who made the lookup requests check in the sample . at long last , Google shared a belittled amount of data with the DOJ .