Google faces potential $3.8 billion lawsuit over internal ‘spying’ program

[Delicieuxz]

Alternate source article:

Google faces potential $3.8 billion lawsuit over internal ‘spying’ program based on workers ratting each other out

 

 

A Google employee is suing the company for being too confidential - And operating an internal ‘spying program’

Quote

A Google product manager has filed a lawsuit against the company for its confidentiality policies on the grounds they violate California labor laws, according to a report from The Information. The suit, filed today in California Superior Court in San Francisco, alleges that Google operates what amounts to an internal “spying program” on its own employees.

These policies are put in place to allegedly prevent the leaking of potentially damaging information to regulators or law enforcement. They in turn prohibit employees from speaking out about illegal activity within the company, even to its own lawyers, and encourage them to report other employees suspected of leaking information. The Verge has obtained a copy of the complaint, linked below in full.

...
The goal of these confidentiality policies is both to prevent leaking to regulators and law enforcement and to stop employees from handing sensitive information to the press. The suit alleges a Google co-founder — it does not name either Larry Page or Sergey Brin — reiterated at a company all-hands meeting that anyone who leaks confidential info would be terminated.

However, if Google is found guilty of violating California labor law, it could be fined up to $100 for each of the 12 alleged violations, multiplied by its more than 61,000 employees. That fine doubles to $200 per pay period per employee, up to an entire year, if any of the violations persisted past a single pay period. That means the maximum payout here could be as much as $3.8 billion, netting each Google employee around $14,600, The Information estimates. The suit specifically calls out a Securities and Exchange Commission guideline that bans companies from preventing their employees from interacting with the agency about potential violations.

...
The lawsuit says that Google’s Code of Conduct classifies confidential information as “everything at Google.” It also says the company operates a program called “Stop Leaks” that encourages employees to report suspicious behavior, which includes other employees asking detailed questions about projects or other work details. The suit alleges that Google “suppresses information” about potentially illegally products or regulatory-skirting practices by advising employees not to include emails signaling how the company may have broken the law or violated contract terms.

...
In a statement obtained by The Verge, a Google spokesperson says the lawsuit is without merit.

 

Well there's not a confirmation of whether the employee claims or Google's defense is closer to being accurate, I suspect an employee would not have filed this lawsuit without understanding the evidence that they were basing it upon, and how it relates to the laws which they're claiming Google is in violation of. And, as a manager, I expect they're have a bit more insight into related Google policies than would the typical employee, as they'd be responsible for making sure such policies are communicated to staff, and enforced.

 

I wonder if the employee in question is still working at Google as they submit this lawsuit, and I wonder what their personal motivation for making the lawsuit is: Are Google's rules interfering with their ability to perform in the manner they'd like, or do they, like Alex Jones in the following ridiculous video, just feel that Google is being hypocritical, keeping records on what everybody is doing while claiming to not allow the same regarding themselves?

 

 

 

[AnonymousGuy]

I skimmed the text of the filed lawsuit.  It reads like it was written by a legal moron who got high and then felt like suing someone.  Lacks concrete evidence of wrongdoing, takes a gigantic theoretical masturbatory shotgun approach to violations, just terrible lawyering all around.

[Jamtoad]

I say all employees that have access to data that should be secure wheter it be projects, personal data or anything should be monitord closely so you can insure no data is being stolen/sold and used for who knows what

 

 

[Princess Luna]

Human Resources project gone wrong? eh

[tlink]

20 minutes ago, AnonymousGuy said:

I skimmed the text of the filed lawsuit.  It reads like it was written by a legal moron who got high and then felt like suing someone.  Lacks concrete evidence of wrongdoing, takes a gigantic theoretical masturbatory shotgun approach to violations, just terrible lawyering all around.

not to be rude but what is your qualification to judge this with the absoluteness you use? genuinely interested.

[Delicieuxz]

41 minutes ago, AnonymousGuy said:

I skimmed the text of the filed lawsuit.  It reads like it was written by a legal moron who got high and then felt like suing someone.  Lacks concrete evidence of wrongdoing, takes a gigantic theoretical masturbatory shotgun approach to violations, just terrible lawyering all around.

The filed complaint is like an application for a lawsuit and only presents the premise for the lawsuit, while concrete evidence is saved for the court-room. If the premise is flimsy, the case can be thrown-out without going to court. If it is accepted, then the case will be heard by a judge. Sides of the lawsuit don't reveal their full hands before the court proceedings.

[AnonymousGuy]

4 minutes ago, Delicieuxz said:

The filed complaint is like an application for a lawsuit and only presents the premise for the lawsuit, while concrete evidence is saved for the court-room. If the premise is flimsy, the case can be thrown-out without going to court. If it is accepted, then the case will be heard by a judge. Sides of the lawsuit don't reveal their full hands before the court proceedings.

I say lacking concrete evidence because the filing does nothing to even indicate that the plantiff was wronged in any way by the confidentiality agreement.  Still works at Google.  No smoking gun.  Hence it's all theoretical "well my rights *could* be violated.  Courts don't like hearing theoretical arguments.

 

Take everything on this page of the filing, for example, and tell me you don't come out of it saying "yeah, so what?":

 

https://html1-f.scribdassets.com/5bvgxpey2o5mumed/images/13-96558808ad.jpg

[Delicieuxz]

7 minutes ago, AnonymousGuy said:

I say lacking concrete evidence because the filing does nothing to even indicate that the plantiff was wronged in any way by the confidentiality agreement.  Still works at Google.  No smoking gun.  Hence it's all theoretical "well my rights *could* be violated.  Courts don't like hearing theoretical arguments.

 

Take everything on this page of the filing, for example, and tell me you don't come out of it saying "yeah, so what?":

 

https://html1-f.scribdassets.com/5bvgxpey2o5mumed/images/13-96558808ad.jpg

A plaintiff doesn't have to be overtly wronged in some way for a lawsuit to be valid. A lawsuit doesn't have to be about the plaintiff, at all - the plaintiff is just the person who presents the case.

 

It sounds like the plaintiff says Google's policies are illegal, and that employees shouldn't be subject to them.

[elkenrod]

not to be confused with Google's Customer "spying program".

[Prysin]

8 hours ago, elkenrod said:

not to be confused with Google's Customer "spying program".

or googles sale of information to unknown parties

[Princess Luna]

1 hour ago, Prysin said:

or googles sale of information to unknown parties

Firefox FTW [:

[Prysin]

19 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

Firefox FTW [:

Doesn't help. They track you through Google ads, Google account login,  linked accounts, search box on websites etc... 

[That Norwegian Guy]

44 minutes ago, Prysin said:

Doesn't help. They track you through Google ads, Google account login,  linked accounts, search box on websites etc... 

Maxthon (Chinese web browser)
DuckDuckGO (Russian web search using Yandex search index also Russian)

mail .ru (Russian email)

Adblock and hosts file for the rest.

Comodo Firewall with HIPS Paranoid mode on

 

Better to give data to Chinese and Russian parties than anyone in the United StoneAge

[Doobeedoo]

At least ask them if you can monitor them and watch their every move, they may be ok with it. It's for improvement etc. heh.

[Mihle]

Info Wars....

[Yoinkerman]

Sounds par for the course with America's anti whistleblowing culture 

[PlayStation 2]

6 hours ago, Prysin said:

Google ads

ear rape intensifies

[Guest Kloaked]

6 hours ago, Mihle said:

Info Wars....

is love.

[Misanthrope]

Spying program?....

 

Oh you mean Google itself and everything they fucking do, ever.

[KuJoe]

Oh boy, Google is acting like every other company in the world. Better get the lawyers involved! 

[AresKrieger]

Yeah and this is why I block google's ads analytics etc, and use a fake name

[Little Bear]

I literally died at 8:50.

[Mihle]

6 hours ago, Kloaked said:

is love.

......

[vorticalbox]

On ‎04‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 0:39 AM, Jamtoad said:

I say all employees that have access to data that should be secure wheter it be projects, personal data or anything should be monitord closely so you can insure no data is being stolen/sold and used for who knows what

 

 

I think the problem is that you're not allowed to report illegal activity that google may have been involved with.

[Bleedingyamato]

23 hours ago, AresKrieger said:

Yeah and this is why I block google's ads analytics etc, and use a fake name

How do you block that stuff?