Viacom, Google Agree on Privacy for YouTube Users
Date : 15 Jul 2008 Category : Technology
NewsFactor NetworkA Google spokesperson told The New York Times and other news media on Monday that the two companies have agreed how to share data about YouTube during Viacom's copyright-infringement lawsuit and still protect the privacy of users. Last year, Viacom sued Google and its YouTube site for $1 billion, alleging unauthorized use of video clips from Viacom properties.
Google will provide the viewer database, but without revealing user names or other information that could be used to identify individual users.
Logging Database
Earlier this month, a federal judge in New York City ordered Google to release YouTube user information to Viacom and other plaintiffs suing the search giant for copyright violations. The data was sought so that Viacom could discover the extent of what it claims were violations, but the company has also said it was not interested in identifying individuals.
An undetermined part of this latest agreement is how to reveal viewing patterns of employees of YouTube or Google. The privacy agreement between the two parties does not cover employees of those companies.
The decision by Judge Louis L. Stanton had directed that YouTube show its logging records for every video viewed on the site, or on sites with embedded YouTube content. The records include the login ID, the time when viewing started, the IP address, and the identifier for the video.
Threatens 'Deeply Private Information'
But some observers, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, criticized the ruling as an invasion of privacy. It said the judicial order ignored the protections of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act and "threatens to expose deeply private information about what videos are watched by YouTube users."
There are actually two...