Viacom, Google agree to mask 12TB of YouTube user data
Found on Ars Technica on Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Google had to turn over a 12TB database of every YouTube video ever watched-complete with user IDs and IP addresses.
On the official YouTube blog, the company said that it was "pleased to report that Viacom, MTV and other litigants have backed off their original demand for all users' viewing histories, and we will not be providing that information.... We remain committed to protecting your privacy and we'll continue to fight for your right to share and broadcast your work on YouTube."
"Great!" wrote one poster. "So when are you going to let us OPT OUT of info collection? You dodged a bullet today, but what happens the next time? What happens if the government decides to start spying on us thanks to your data collecting?"
Exactly. The question is why Youtube/Google keeps every bit of information for an unlimited time anyway. Of course, because it wants the user to be transparent, analyzeable, predictable. For a business based on advertising it is essential to know this. But this does not justify the storage of all user information. Analyze the data, keep the results, delete the user data. This would be acceptable. If you're a Google fanboy/girl and use every single service they offer, signed in with permanent cookies, you let them watch your online life. And one day, this will break the neck of Google.