The Federal Trade Commission is being asked to investigate Internet search giant Google for a lack of security  in its cloud-computing services, a framework of software and services in which applications and data reside on third-party servers that provide remote access through Web-based devices.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a Washington, D.C.-based public-interest group, filed the complaint and is asking for an injunction by the FTC to stop Google from offering any of its cloud services until the FTC has investigated Google's safeguarding of consumers' information.
The complaint comes just 10 days after Google announced that it had unintentionally disclosed user-generated documents stored on its cloud-computing service.
Privacy Glitches Cited
In its 15-page complaint, EPIC said Google is not providing adequate protection of consumers' information in its group of cloud-computing services, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Desktop, Picasa Web Albums and Google Calendar.
"We understand the FTC is very interested and have received an acknowledgment from the FTC," Marc Rotenberg, president at EPIC, told us. "Now they will make a determination on whether to begin an investigation."
Rotenberg said EPIC always reserves the right to supplement the filing and may add to it because of Google's health-records service that "will clearly raise privacy and security concerns."
In September and November alone, 30.4 million consumers used Google's Docs and Gmail cloud-computing services, according to ComScore Media Metrix.
EPIC points out several flaws in Google's cloud-computing services. In January 2005, researchers found that usernames and passwords for Google accounts allowed others to steal log-in information, allowing outsiders to snoop on users' e-mail. Another flaw exposed Google users' personal data to malicious Internet sites, EPIC says.
"Of course what we did was we looked carefully at Google's statements and they sound very favorable, then you read their terms of service," Rotenberg said. "On one hand they are telling everyone cloud computing works great, but on the other hand in the terms of service they say if you run into trouble, you are on your own."
EPIC is asking the FTC to encourage Google to make its security policies more transparent; report any data breaches or loss of data to the FTC; and ask Google to contribute $5 million to a public fund that will support privacy issues, including encryption, mobile locations and data anonymization.
Cloud Computing Rises
Cloud computing has gained traction in the past few months, with several companies, including Microsoft, IBM and Sun Microsystems, talking about it and offering services. (continued...)
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