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Google accused of secretly tracking drivers with disabilities (arstechnica.com)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (5 children)

The article seems a little light on any single fact but does anyone know if there's any actual data that shows personal disability information being recorded/collected? Is the tracking code being served both on the public side and in the logged in portion of the portal? Absolutely no meaningful information was provided.

I know we can sue a sandwich, is this one of these lawsuits? "I found Google tracking code on the DMV site so it's time to earn my retirement" sort of thing?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Wilson last visited the DMV site last summer when she was renewing her disability parking placard online. At that time, she did not know that Google obtained her personal information when she filled out her application, communicated directly with the DMV, searched on the site, or clicked on various URLs, all of which she said revealed that either she had a disability or believed she had a disability.

Her complaint alleged that Google secretly gathers information about the contents of the DMV's online users’ searches, logging sensitive keywords like "teens," "disabled drivers," and any "inquiries regarding disabilities."

Google "knowingly" obtained this information, Wilson alleged, to quietly expand user profiles for ad targeting, "intentionally" disregarding DMV website users' "reasonable expectation of privacy."

So it's not like they were skimming the medical info provided, but if you went to the DMV page, Google knew what you clicked.

So they pulled all that.

But because they didn't set it up to exclude anything about disability plates, it violated a specific law in California from the 90s.

It's valid, although I doubt Google intended to gather info specifically on people with disabilities, they don't respect the law to ensure they follow it, they grab everything and pay settlements later if they need to.

This is America

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

This is America

I think that's a very apt summary of the case. It's our super-lotto.

Everyone knows(like even my elderly mom) that Google, FB, etc follow you everywhere and that they use that data. I would have no doubt those sites knew she was disabled long before she visited the DMV site. It looks like she just found a way to monetize it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

Yeah, like we don't even blink when someone's Google searches before a crime are brought up in a trial...

Like, they don't have a time machine to go check once your caught.

They can get it, because they're saving everyone's.

We don't have a real left wing party to fight for us on this stuff. Just two pro-corporate parties constantly after donations.

We need people to stop just accepting this is how it has to be, it's not like this in every country.

And lawsuits like this get us talking about it at least.

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