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A comment on Google to Acquire Nest. Parent comment

Re:Google to Acquire Nest by vasilipupkin on Monday January 13, 2014 @04:19PM (#7053382)
yeah, the last thing I need is my Nest thermostat and my Nest smoke alarm sending data about my house to Google / NSA
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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by ericcumbee on Monday January 13, 2014 @04:27PM (#7053479)
from http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/13/google-just-bought-connecte...

Will Nest customer data be shared with Google?

Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services. We’ve always taken privacy seriously and this will not change. ----- is it just me or is that a non denial?

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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by forgottenpass on Monday January 13, 2014 @04:31PM (#7053515)
is it just me or is that a non denial?

Is it ever. The new owners of Nest can just roll out updates to every Nest app that require an agreement to a new TOS. I expect to see it within 18 months.

Shame too, I was already on the fence about buying a Nest, I guess I've got a new microcontroler project to work on.

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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by smackfu on Monday January 13, 2014 @04:37PM (#7053573)
It's a dumb question. There is no such thing as "shared with Google" if Nest is wholly owned by Google. Nest data is Google data.
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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by azernik on Monday January 13, 2014 @04:36PM (#7053561)
"Improving our products and services" is standard legalese for "to implement whatever new feature we want".
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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by MrZongle2 on Monday January 13, 2014 @04:30PM (#7053500)
It just means that the privacy policy will be revised.
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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by ericcumbee on Monday January 13, 2014 @06:07PM (#7054230)
accept our TOS or prepare to freeze/burn up.
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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by matthewmcg on Monday January 13, 2014 @05:52PM (#7054146)
Their current policy doesn't permit them to share personal information with other entities or even "affiliates". They would probably need your consent to change this.

They could merge Nest Labs, Inc. into another Google company, letting the surviving company use the information. The press release does not disclose the acquisition structure but their statements suggest the company will survive as a separate entity.

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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by smackfu on Monday January 13, 2014 @04:36PM (#7053557)
I don't really see what they have access to privacy-wise that is any more intrusive than a smart-phone with a microphone and a GPS chip.

And if the NSA can target a huge company like Google, I bet Nest was child's play to infiltrate.

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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by diydsp on Monday January 13, 2014 @05:36PM (#7054036)
well, it's one thing to feel insecure knowing that people know where you are (cellphone/mic/GPS). But if you're attacked/ambushed/blackmailed/kidnapped, you can always fight for yourself, scream to attract attention, etc.

It's another thing to feel insecure knowing that people know when your home is unoccupied. Just wait until the next big data breach happens.

It's especially interesting b/c not only is this a "when are they not home" detector, but the "they" is an indicator for "wealthy enough to afford nice things."

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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by hippee-lee on Monday January 13, 2014 @11:54PM (#7055464)
Then we make products like the nest that sit in out houses with cameras in them, tie into facial recognition software and alert the police. Or, even better recognize that intruder is not on a white list and owners are not home and use automated home protection to disable them.

Those kinds of situations are the driving force of many thin a: warheads & bunkers and safes & crackers quickly come to mind.

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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by guyzero on Monday January 13, 2014 @07:17PM (#7054550)
If you actually care about the NSA and aren't just being glib, what's stopping them from collecting this data right now?
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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by reinhardt on Monday January 13, 2014 @06:40PM (#7054402)
Is this about principle or you have actual privacy concerns about leaked thermostat / smoke alarm data? Maybe I am being unimaginative but I can't think of why I should care about the latter.
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Re:Google to Acquire Nest by antimatter on Monday January 13, 2014 @07:45PM (#7054643)
Nest thermostat can detect whether a home is occupied or not. I imagine this is the biggest cause for concern.
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