Google Privacy Policy Will Track Users Across All Products
Google this week announced changes to its privacy policy and plans to consolidate users' information from across all products.
Google this week announced changes to its privacy policy that will see the company track and consolidate user information across all Google services. This means that what you do on YouTube, for example, could be used to offer you targeted ads with other Google services. Though it might be advantageous to have Google inform you you're going to be late for that Google Calendar appointment based on your location and the level of traffic in that area, it's not hard to see how this information might make people uneasy. That said, Google insists that it will provide a better user-experience for those with Google accounts.
"Our new Privacy Policy makes clear that, if you’re signed in, we may combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services," Google said in a statement. "In short, we’ll treat you as a single user across all our products, which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google experience."
These changes are only possible because of Google's decision to get consolidate over 60 of its individual policies into a main privacy policy. Before the change, Google had more than 70 privacy documents covering its different products.
Yesterday's announcement also included a few words on what Google isn't changing. The company said its commitment to "data liberation" remains unchanged," so users that wish to take their information elsewhere can do so, and assured users that their information wouldn't be shared with third parties without their permission save for exceptional circumstances, such as a court order.
"We try hard to be transparent about the information we collect, and to give you meaningful choices about how it is used—for example our Ads Preferences Manager enables you to edit the interest categories we advertise against or turn off certain Google ads altogether," the company said, before highlighting Google+'s Circles as an example of how Google builds privacy into its products from the beginning.
Here's a little video from Google explaining the changes and what they'll mean for users. Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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wheres the opt out?
exactly! no opt out option means you gotta use it if you want to use google and be signed in...
it wont be long b4 they ask you to sign in just to use search... "google!. makes big brothers life so much easier." should be there new logo...
Time to switch to Firefox
Assuming the information is not released to third parties (which I realize may not be a valid assumption, but that's a separate issue), I don't think I have a problem with this. In fact, if I see additional intrusive advertising, it will help me learn what businesses to not support, specifically because of their advertising methods.
keep giving me free products that are awesome google, and i wont even care.
going to go check out its web building stuff soon, wanted a webpage for a while, waiting on google to provide a service, they did, going to try to build something basic for now.
now thats creepy..... why do i use google and own an android? maybe windows phone 8 is a better idea
wheres the opt out?
check your settings and the google dashboard
I wonder if Disconnect for Chrome would block it like it does all the facebook crap that pops up.
The video is certainly misleading by connecting all those things even keeping track of everything less about your privacy but more about simply making their ad revenue higher. If anything this is a privacy issue not nearly a positive thing.
I don't want corporations to know everything about me whether they share this info or not.
I don't want them to monitor everything I do and use that to their advantage. We do not accept our governments conducting such behavior so why should we when it comes to corporations?
Is this surprising?
I think they've been doing this for quite some time now...
https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/eula.html
An opt-out plugin for various web browers. Made by google. Weird, huh?
buhu, atleast they admit it. it's your choice what data you put out onto the web. can't tell me facebook isn't worse
Yep. That is a real privacy "policy".
Low Orbit Ion Cannon aimed at google and face book lulzsec
Wait, does Google even have privacy to make it policies?
They have been doing this for a while now indeed. So what happens to the people that have several youtube accounts. That means that all their accounts will be linked to one?
It's about time Google got dissected by the FTC just like Microsoft did.
Don't be evil, my laughing arse.
I had just assumed they were always doing this, seeing as I only have to log into Google once and I can access my account across all of their services: Gmail, search, Youtube, etc. All this seems to be doing is integrating their services officially.
If anybody actually finds anything in the privacy policy or in Google's practices that is actually concerning, then I'll be troubled. Until then, though, this sounds like more same-old of what we've been using all along.