SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom its records of which users watched which videos on YouTube, the Web’s largest video site by far.
The order raised concerns among YouTube users and privacy advocates that the video viewing habits of tens of millions of people could be exposed. But Google and Viacom said they were hoping to come up with a way to protect the anonymity of the site’s visitors.
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Summer Redstone Eric Schmidt
("The Night Feed" note: I worked at Viacom's MTV, VH1, & CBS. My Damn Channel works with Google & YouTube. We're represented by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.)
Happy Independence Day.
We built My Damn Channel with a few of patron saints in mind. Johnny Rotten is usually painted by critics with such a simple brush. Most miss the point. John may often be brutal - but he's alway honest.
During the "Rotten TV" run, we walked the red carpet, as a goof on the way into that year's VH1 Fashion Awards. Out of the corner of his eye, John spotted four important looking humans standing a few feet away from all the action, surveying the scene.
"Who are they!?" - he challenged.... I looked over my shoulder to see Sumner Redstone, flanked by Tom Freston, Judy McGrath & John Sykes. "Don't - just don't," was my hapless request, knowing full well I was screwed. Rotten headed straight for Sumner. He grabbed his hand first. Then he shook the rest & asked the group one simple question: "How much money are you lot all making on this tonight?"
As we turned to walk on, Freston grabbed my arm and offered, "I love that show." It was one of the moments that was supposed to go horribly wrong, and somehow went surprisingly well. Probably just luck.
As we head to Vegas to try to haplessly explain why My Damn Channel trusts our talent - here are a few of our gold-plated rules - we'll think of a few more before tomorrow's event - Wed 4/16 - 2pm - here:
Never lie
Don't hold back bad news
Don't use 'creative input' as an excuse for 'J J" (Job Justification)
Make decisive decisions
Never bait & switch
Communicate constantly
Avoid the 'handlers' - go direct
Be specific
Move fast - no waiting
Work the press
Pay on time - every time
Pick up the check - almost every time