A Creepy Stalker At Google
He had access to your teen’s passwords…and he used it
We entrust Google with our most private communications because we assume the company takes every precaution to safeguard our data. It doesn’t. A Google engineer spied on four underage teens for months before the company was notified of the abuses.
David Barksdale, a 27-year-old former Google engineer, repeatedly took advantage of his position as a member of an elite technical group at the company to access users’ accounts, violating the privacy of at least four minors during his employment, we’ve learned.
But really, you can trust them to be the “third half of your brain.”
Not.
Makes Ya Barf, Morality | Mr. Bingley | 
September 15, 2010 12:53 pm
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It’s unlikely he had access to the passwords. What he had (as the article states later) was access to the databases.
Not that it makes much difference, since he had access to the info. As do all of us in that sort of position. (Sorry, but it’s necessary in order to do our jobs.) And we don’t abuse it.
I would think Google should be a LOT more careful about checking out people in that sort of position than the seem to have been. That they hired him in the first place is what I find scary.
Thanks for the clarification, Kathy!
Kind of an oddball looking dude, isn’t he? Sort of puts a check in all the boxes on the “demented geek” checklist.
Indeed.
And this is reason #498,372,125 of why I don’t ever use Goooooooogle 😉
Actually, LC, this is a weakness in ANY e-mail system. Or other network based database. It doesn’t matter how secure any system is — people are always the biggest weakness.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? I always say.
Good point, but I’ll stick with my over-zealous conspiracy theory as regards Gooooogle, since it gives me warm fuzzies 😀
No argument THERE, LC. Heh heh heh!