Google: The Internet's worst privacy invader

A little-noticed report released earlier this month might make you think twice the next time you use Google. It ranked Google as the worst Internet company when it comes to protecting the privacy of its users.

A Computerworld article reports that the group, Privacy International, gave Google the worst privacy rating for "comprehensive consumer surveillance and entrenched hostility to privacy."

The report went on to say, "Google's increasing ability to deep-drill into the minutiae of a user's life and lifestyle choices must in our view be coupled with well-defined and mature user controls and an equally mature privacy outlook. Neither of these elements has been demonstrated."

The group added, "throughout our research we have found numerous deficiencies and hostilities in Google's approach to privacy that go well beyond those of other organizations."

The group isn't the only one to complain about Google's privacy policies. As Computerworld reports, the European Union has been looking into those policies as well.

Google needs to change its privacy practices, but for now, it's made only a slight nod to the European Union. But in time, enough public pressure may force it to change.