Newspeak Alert
Dear San Jose Mercury News,
In re your article, “Date set for hearing on Google data-sharing.” [link to http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/13735129.htm no longer works]
It’s not sharing when you’re holding a court hearing. It’s a demand. I share my toys with my friends. The man with a gun demanded my wallet. Please make a note of it.
PS: If you didn’t promulgate the use of the word “sharing” to mean the promiscuous trading of personal data, this never would have happened.
I don’t get your objection. Are you saying that it is logically impossible for Google to be forced to share data? Why? I sometimes force my kids to share their toys, whether they like it or not.
You also suggest that the case involves personal data. According to reports, all personal identifiers will be removed from the data. It will just be queries and resultant URLs.
The use of the term “share” is stretched to have no meaning when one is forced to turn over data.
In saying that the SJMN uses “sharing,” I’m speaking more broadly than this case, and referring to the newspeak that’s in privacy policies. That usage has been picked up by news outlets.