Late last month, Google announced a new privacy policy that will go into effect on Thursday. The changes have set citizens and action groups alike up in arms over the violations in privacy the changes will bring.
As explained by Google, the privacy changes are all about consolidation. Essentially, they have replaced their many policies across their services – including Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and more – with a singular one that covers all of their products. Furthermore, they will integrate information they receive about users from all their different services to build a better and more accurate profile of the user to better target ads.
Though these changes sound minor and perhaps even simplistic and reassuring, privacy officials throughout the world claim otherwise. Groups like the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy have filed complaints with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in response to the policy, attempting to incite action against the changes by the FTC.
Their reasons for questioning Google, though valid, are not apparent at first. These organizations fear, through the new policy, the search engine giant will be able to create an extremely accurate and detailed online profile for users.
Again, this does not appear to be so threatening, but when concerns about information security begin to arise, the landscape of the problem changes. Not only does this information have the possibility to be seized by various government agencies, but users’ profiles are also subject to acquisition either through leaks or hacking. Realistically, these more detailed profiles are being utilized for Google’s benefit in the advertising realm.
If Google can provide comprehensive and precise profile of its users, ads can be better targeted and used with greater success rates. Improved advertising will result in higher profits for Google, making it an attractive option for the company.
Google has also initiated a program called Screenwise, a program that allows those who sign up, and subsequently accept, to be paid in exchange for their entire search history, Internet activity and browsing habits to be reported to Google.
There is nothing illegal or deceptive about this, but it does pose the question of how much a user’s privacy is worth to them. Yet, again, so far Google is operating completely within legal grounds. Qualms with the privacy policy may have died here, labeled as little more than needless worrying over the pursuit of capitalism, but recent events may point toward foul play. On Feb. 17, the Wall Street Journal reported Google had been bypassing privacy settings used on Apple’s Internet browser Safari.
The search engine used advertising cookies that violated privacy settings set by users. Three days later, Internet Explorer reported Google had made similar violations on their browser.
Google disabled the code allowing these cookies by the settings after the Journal’s article was published, later claiming the advertising cookies did not collect personal information on the user. Even in light of the less-than-reassuring admission and explanation, a situation like this does not bode well for a company attempting to prove it will effectively manage the privacy of millions, if not billions, of people throughout the world.
Though Google hasn’t acted in a truly evil fashion yet, it appears that they are setting themselves up for it. One by one the privacy dominoes are beginning to fall and the burden falls on the people, those who use and browse the Internet every day, to step up and voice their concern.
The value of privacy is an individual concern, but considering what people are comfortable sharing with the government or those slightly more malicious is important.
As most everyone is a Google user in some fashion, read the privacy changes. If, once read, no qualms are found, then continue to use Google as you were. However, if there are those who value their privacy more than Google appears to, make your voice heard.
