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Google's New Privacy Policy Features Very Little Privacy, No Opt Out Option

By Admin on January 25, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Google is stalking you. And you'll have no way to stop it after March 1.

Under the newly unveiled Google privacy policy, the site has given itself permission to collect information stored across all of its platforms, including Gmail, YouTube, Google+ and Reader. That information will then be used to create a single user profile.

As of now, the policy includes no way to opt out.

Instead, all signed-in users will receive more personalized results when using Google products. The integration has already begun -- if you conduct a general search, you'll receive personal results for the web and images. Many of the results will reflect your RSS feeds and the preferences of your Google+ friends.

Google believes the integration will improve advertising and user experience, explains the Washington Post. But privacy advocates are concerned. No one signed up for Gmail expecting it to affect what shows up when they search YouTube.

The single personal profile proposed under the new Google privacy policy may also make user information more lucrative to sell.

One should thus expect some legislative scrutiny in the coming weeks. Google reached a privacy settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in April. Though Google Buzz -- the subject of the settlement -- is no longer active, the settlement terms still remain in force.

It requires Google to be up front with users about privacy changes; to implement a comprehensive privacy program; and to conduct independent privacy audits for the next 20 years.

The new Google privacy policy may very well violate these terms. If it does, an opt-out option will be coming soon.

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