Google Tries Setting the Record Straight on Privacy Policy Changes
Google Tries Setting the Record Straight on Privacy Policy Changes
Posted 01/27/2012 at 9:28am
| by Paul Lilly
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Google on Tuesday announced some changes to its privacy policies and Terms of Service that essentially boils down to sharing more data by combining information you've provided from one service with information from other services. The goal is to "treat you as a single user across all our products, which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google experience." Google's unification of data from 60 Web services hasn't been sitting well with some folks, so Google Policy Manager Betsy Masiello hammered out a blog post in an attempt to clarify any misconceptions people may have.
"We're making things simpler and we're trying to be upfront about it," Masiello wrote. "Period."
She explains that users still have choice and control, that Google isn't collecting any more data than it previously was, and that you can use as much as or as little as Google as you see fit, so if you're into Gmail but aren't feeling the whole Google+ scene, you can use one and not the other.
"You don't need to log in to use many of our services, including Search, Maps, and YouTube," Masiello explains. "If you are logged in, you can still edit or turn off your Search history, switch Gmail chat to 'off the record,' control the way Google tailors ads to your interests, use Incognito mode on Chrome, or use any of the other privacy tools we offer."
Privacy advocates in Congress aren't necessarily convinced and plan to investigate what effect Google's revised privacy policy changes will have on consumers. Others, including our own contributor Ryan Whitwam, don't see what all the fuss is about.
"I don't understand the huff over Google's new privacy policy mostly because I assumed they already did most of that stuff," Whitwam posted on his Google+ account. "If they weren't, fine. If they want to now, also fine. It doesn't bother me. If people are upset, they can delete their Google accounts. I'll keep mine until a self-driving Google car starts following me around for additional market research. That, or when my phone starts syncing with my brain to target ads in my dreams. That might freak me out a little."
Do you agree with Whitwam or are you outraged over the policy changes?
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canis187
January 30, 2012 at 12:45pm
Just remember;
"If you are not paying for it, you are not the customer; you're the product being sold."http://lifehacker.com/5697167/if-youre-not-paying-for-it-youre-the-product
bpstone
January 29, 2012 at 5:12pm
Huff n' puff Google. Despite what you think, you are not the big bad wolf. Your customers/users made you. I have paid e-mail accounts instead of freebies. Google+ is still new plus virtually useless without syncing with established networks. Screw around with people like a bully. You will only end up hurting yourself in the end.
win7fanboi
January 30, 2012 at 12:53pm
Paid e-mail accounts - huh? If you mean Google Apps, then you are not paying just for the email accounts.
Google+ is plenty useful even if not a lot of people you know are on it.
For all this 'huffing n puffing' I doubt you can stay one week without using - google search, gmail, youtube, google maps, photos, etc.
I agree that a company shouldn't screw their customers but they have to make money some way. Hopefully they will not abuse their position. Time will tell.
bpstone
January 30, 2012 at 4:31pm
My accounts are with a provider entirely unrelated to Google. I do not need their worthless Gmail. Not trying to brag. We use Google search and the most major social networks as with most companies. The rest is none of your damn business. ;)
livebriand
January 27, 2012 at 6:36pm
Why are all new google accounts put into Google+ whether you like it or not? I'm glad that mine (not an email, I use it for youtube) was created before they started doing that. However, on google.com, under my username there's a clear bolded option to 'Join Google+'. Hell no.
Eoraptor
January 27, 2012 at 10:52am
Firstly, that's not entirely true... new Gmail users get a Google + account ~whether they want one or not~ and it in no way can be disabled which I have found. So there's a bald-faced lie right there.
Secondly, I have read through the new privacy policy. I did not find it particularly "easier to read and understand" in the least. In fact, by my reading, all Google has done is to replace verbose legal copy with glowing advertising copy. When I looked into privacy and Google's Cookies, I did not find the one simple answer I wanted. I wanted to know "how long do google cookies remain valid?" IE, if I left google and avoided it like the plague, how long before google's cookie became invalid and it ceased tracking my activity on the internet?
I never found the answer. I found a superlative explanation of why I should allow cookies and how they make the web better. I found a vague and generalized description of how to remove cookies on my own (though with browser-specific links if i wanted to dig further) and I found easily a link offering to sign me up for Google's "About me" service to find out how much the web knows about me, if only i would sign up for yet another google service. But not once did I find the one, specific, policy-driven question I wanted answered "in plain english."
Eventually, I dug deep enough into this "easy to understand privacy policy" to be given a tutorial on how cookies work, and if I wanted to open a text editor and examine the cookie by hand (assuming I could find it) that therein I would find the expiration date.
And that is why I dislike the new privacy policy. It is not as advertised. It's not an easy-to-understand policy about what google will do with my data and my privacy; it is, instead, an adwords stuffed treatise trying to make me feel better about using Google.
win7fanboi
January 27, 2012 at 11:54am
"...I wanted to know "how long do google cookies remain valid?" IE, if I left google and avoided it like the plague, how long before google's cookie became invalid and it ceased tracking my activity on the internet? ..."
I am sure you know this but the way you phrased the sentence I thought I clarify that the cookies by themselves don't have the power to track you. A google website can track you by reading/writing to the cookies. But you are right in regarding to wanted to know when they expire, they really should have a 'do not track' mode in android which would disable tracking in all the services. I think they are trying to monetize the services they are giving away for free without overwhelming the user with ads.
They have so much information already that people should and will be weary of such policy changes.
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