Employee Lawsuit Accuses Google of ‘Spying Program’

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It looks as though a Google product manager has filed a lawsuit against the company over its internal confidentiality policies. The suit claims that the rules breach California labor laws. Google tracks everything everyone else does, why should it be different if you work for them? ;)

The lawsuit alleges that Google warns employees to not put into writing concerns about potential illegal activity within Google, even to the company’s own attorneys, because the disclosures could fall into the hands of regulators and law enforcement. It also alleges that confidentiality provisions include a prohibition on employees writing “a novel about someone working at a tech company in Silicon Valley,” without Google signing off on the final draft.
 
I've been following Google's developing "People Analytics" program for years. This is a program used by Google HR to monitor applicants and employees and analyze collected data to determine things like the minimal position, title, responsibility level, and salary they can offer for hiring and retention purposes. They also use the data to determine job function using some weird happiness index based on their algorithms. Google has aspirations to develop this into a product they can offer to businesses so they can do the same thing. Google has been feeding this project student data from GAFE to fine tune the offering. The end game can be a little bit scary if Google is successful.

Imagine using your school work, and monitored life activities, to pre-determine your occupation and compensation levels. There are some at Google who think they have finally cracked the code for workable communism.
 
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I haven't read the story since it requires a subscription. The line that Steve posted sounds like Google just wants any complaints to be verbal, that way nothing is in writing and gets them into trouble. They don't have anythign in writing, so it's on any prosecution to come up with 'evidence' that illegal shenigans are happening. If they are that concerned having stuff in writing, then they should not have any internal email servers or any sort of storage. I've worked in couple IT places where they didn't want people to have email past a certain amount of time.

It does seem to go against federal law for Whistle-blowing protection, especially if it is for something illegal.
 
Noghri2 said:
I haven't read the story since it requires a subscription. The line that Steve posted sounds like Google just wants any complaints to be verbal, that way nothing is in writing and gets them into trouble. They don't have anythign in writing, so it's on any prosecution to come up with 'evidence' that illegal shenigans are happening. If they are that concerned having stuff in writing, then they should not have any internal email servers or any sort of storage. I've worked in couple IT places where they didn't want people to have email past a certain amount of time.

It does seem to go against federal law for Whistle-blowing protection, especially if it is for something illegal.
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I think you meant that Google doesn't want an e-mail trail.
 
Haven't read the story but if it is actually true that Google tells employees to not make any complaints in writing that is fairly stunning. It would be doubly ironic and dumb if that warning was in turn in writing. Not only is it illegal to discourage internal complaints of illegal activity (and saying "don't put it in writing" should fall under that definition) but every employer in CA needs to have some sort of internal complaint and investigatory procedure for a variety of complaints, such as sexual harassment. Mandating that everything is done verbally would fall well short of bare minimum standards and I would be shocked if this was what Google was actually doing.
 
Ordeith said:
I've been following Google's developing "People Analytics" program for years. This is a program used by Google HR to monitor applicants and employees and analyze collected data to determine things like the minimal position, title, responsibility level, and salary they can offer for hiring and retention purposes. They also use the data to determine job function using some weird happiness index based on their algorithms. Google has aspirations to develop this into a product they can offer to businesses so they can do the same thing. Google has been feeding this project student data from GAFE to fine tune the offering. The end game can be a little bit scary if Google is successful.

Imagine using your school work, and monitored life activities, to pre-determine your occupation and compensation levels. There are some at Google who think they have finally cracked the code for workable communism.
Click to expand...

Are you scared that Google is right that they finally have way to reward people based upon their contribution? Second..what the google method is doing is actually employing SOCIALISM in an analytical way. Calling it communism is dead set wrong.
 
Who else is surprised the destroyers of everyone's privacy are secretly fighting tooth and nail for their own privacy.

Schmidt: "(your) privacy is dead(, peons)!"

Except this is 100 times worse than Zuckerberg buying all the adjacent mansions next to his own just to be left alone. Did I say 100 times? No, it's 100000000x times worse
 
Trepidati0n said:
Are you scared that Google is right that they finally have way to reward people based upon their contribution? Second..what the google method is doing is actually employing SOCIALISM in an analytical way. Calling it communism is dead set wrong.
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you have the motivation all wrong. Google is set to remove human autonomy as much as they possibly can, so the companies that buy into their programs can be spoon fed drones to do the bidding of their corporate masters.

It seems you would make a good and willing drone.
 
Trepidati0n said:
Are you scared that Google is right that they finally have way to reward people based upon their contribution? Second..what the google method is doing is actually employing SOCIALISM in an analytical way. Calling it communism is dead set wrong.
Click to expand...
It's called offering the least compensation they can get away with. Contribution based, my ass.
 
jpm100 said:
It's called offering the least compensation they can get away with. Contribution based, my ass.
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So...you are saying companies are finally going to understand what you are really worth and not what you think you are worth? Are you possible riding on a tide of "I get paid a lot but definitely know there are people much smarter and working harder that are getitng paid less"? Are you afraid your piece of the pie is going to get smaller? Protectionism at its finest right here...right down to the individual person.

Ordeith said:
you have the motivation all wrong. Google is set to remove human autonomy as much as they possibly can, so the companies that buy into their programs can be spoon fed drones to do the bidding of their corporate masters.

It seems you would make a good and willing drone.
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Ahh..the ye'old "overlord" argument. So cute...only people I ever hear use this argument are drones already bitching about their shitty place in life. Always blame somebody else for your own failures...it is the mantra that group.

I have traveled the world and seen people work harder for years day in and day out than most people will ever even think about doing in one day but yet that person still feels they should get more than that person based upon where they live or who shoved them out of their vagina. If that isn't entitlement..I don't know what is. Globalism has been and is coming..and the day of reckoning where people who have been living off a spoon of any kind (either iron, silver or even gold) are going to have to come with terms they might just have to get their own fucking spoon.
 
Ordeith said:
an opportunity you might not have if Google gets their way. Who knows how they would categorize and assign you after removing your autonomy.
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If I receive significantly unfair opportunities at the expense of others and their futures, I am willing to entertain that discussion. There is a reason when I go to China I bring vitamins for the staff I work with it...i give it to them for their children. Spend a month loving without heat/water and working 16 hour days and get a different view of the world when you come back home...you finally realize how fucking good you got it.
 
Trepidati0n said:
If I receive significantly unfair opportunities at the expense of others and their futures, I am willing to entertain that discussion. There is a reason when I go to China I bring vitamins for the staff I work with it...i give it to them for their children. Spend a month loving without heat/water and working 16 hour days and get a different view of the world when you come back home...you finally realize how fucking good you got it.
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Not quite sure I get these arguments, we should simply lower the bar and be a third world country?
 
Trepidati0n said:
If I receive significantly unfair opportunities at the expense of others and their futures, I am willing to entertain that discussion. There is a reason when I go to China I bring vitamins for the staff I work with it...i give it to them for their children. Spend a month loving without heat/water and working 16 hour days and get a different view of the world when you come back home...you finally realize how fucking good you got it.
Click to expand...

I soo agree with this
After living in Texas for a couple of years then returning to Denmark for 2 weeks i really loved how far ahead Scandinavian countries are.
You really get a new perspective on things you took for granted, when you live for an extended time in country that's is so far behind on even the most simple progress.
 
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