Court Ruling Will Expose Viewing Habits of YouTube Users

[stilltrucking]

all data from the Logging database concerning each time a YouTube video has been viewed on the YouTube website or through embedding on a third-party website

for each instance a video is watched, the unique “login ID” of the user who watched it, the time when the user started to watch the video, the internet protocol address other devices connected to the internet use to identify the user’s computer (“IP address”), and the identifier for the video.

Google correctly argued that “the data should not be disclosed because of the users’ privacy concerns,” citing the VPPA, 18 U.S.C. § 2710. However, the Court dismissed this argument with no analysis, stating “defendants cite no authority barring them from disclosing such information in civil discovery proceedings, and their privacy concerns are speculative.”

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I always figured my life on the internet is an open book, but I am going to miss the music.
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Viacom, which is pursuing a $1bn (£500m) copyright infringement lawsuit against Google, wants the information to determine the amount of copyright material on YouTube. The disclosure could increase Google's liability if Viacom wins the court case.

rest of this story from the guardian