Possibly as a result of Google’s proposed acquisition of Doubleclick – a move that could have far-reaching implications for net privacy, Google is proposing a new minimum world privacy standard. But the weak part of their standard is their suggestion that a breach of privacy should only be considered serious if it involves actual harm to a user. Just what that means is uncertain, but there’s plenty of human rights organisations up in arms about the proposal. Privacy on the net is a much bigger issue than many realise and it’s wise not to swallow the corporate line too quickly.