It seems like Google is getting in legal trouble a lot these days (and if you need any proof, just look at our recent news stories about Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Moon, etc.). However, all of those court case have been thanks to privacy or other issues inherent in Google’s technology. The most recent legal issue in the United States boils down to something far more simple: Google might have lied to the government.
How, exactly? Google has been complaining that Microsoft productivity products have been favored by the U.S. Government while Google’s have been passed by without sufficient consideration. Microsoft has claimed that this simply isn’t so, and have focused in on the fact that Google Apps for Government aren’t certified General Services Administration (GSA) for security.
This turned into a first-grade-playground, back-and-forth, “Yes we are” – “No you’re not,” match until a representative of the GSA stepped in. That GSA rep, David McClure, clarified that, no, Google Apps for Government wasn’t certified. The confusion arises because an earlier version of Google Apps, called Apps Premier, did receive certification. Apps for Government was based on Premier, but was made more secure – so Google representatives thought that this second iteration qualified automatically for the same certification.
McClure clarified in a U.S. Department of Justice hearing that, “When a product changes, you have to re-certify it. So that’s what we’re doing right now, we’re actually going through a re-certification based on those changes that Google has announced with the ‘Apps for Government’ product offering.” Currently, however, Apps for Government is uncertified and thus unqualified for any consideration, or even any of its current Government use. To say the least, Google’s assumptions have put them in some hot water.
[via Business Insider]
