Google has ditched its 60+ individual privacy policies in favour of a single policy that it says is ‘a lot shorter and easier to read’. Great for time-saving, but I have serious questions about how my data will be shared.
Google claims that the new single policy ‘covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google’.
In theory it’s a move to be welcomed – who reads a single privacy policy start to finish – let alone 60 of them? And as Google argues, it will ‘ensure that you can move across Gmail, Calendar, Search, YouTube or whatever your life calls for, with ease’.
But, just as I’ve never believed in one-size-fits-all clothing (it either swamps you or cuts off your circulation), nor do I believe in a single policy for Google’s ever-expanding range of products and services.
As a technology journalist I’m familiar with most, but not all, of Google’s product portfolio; these include social networking site Google+, YouTube and webmail service Gmail.
For me, there’s a world of difference between an email I’ve sent to a friend and a video I’ve chosen to share – one I’d prefer to keep private, the other is designed for sharing. How can a single policy meet both these needs?
Merging data blurs boundaries
As well as creating a single privacy policy Google has said that, as of 1 March 2012, the information across these services will be linked so that information is gathered in one place. For example, a user’s Google search terms can be used to recommend content elsewhere – when they next use YouTube, for example.
This degree of data-sharing makes me uncomfortable, and I’m not alone. Interviewed by the BBC, a campaigner for the Open Rights Group, Peter Bradwell, said:
‘Does this simplicity come at the expense of strong boundaries between Google products? Will details that users thought might be private on one be revealed in unexpected ways on another?’
This is of particular concern when it comes to one of Google’s lesser-known products, Doubleclick. This is Google’s advertising network, which tracks products you’ve looked at online and covers about 80% of the web. It’s used to serve you targeted advertisements.
Currently, Doubleclick data isn’t merged with the rest, but if it were your search results would reflect practically every site that you visit.
Google’s umbrella spreads far and wide
Another problem is that I suspect most users don’t realise that sites such as YouTube fall under Google’s umbrella. They treat this, and Google search, as separate services. Each requires you to sign-in separately, so a single privacy policy makes little sense.
What really galls me, however, is that Google has served these changes up as a fait accomplis. As the company’s website says: ‘If you choose to keep using Google once the change occurs, you will be doing so under the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service’.
So like it or not it seems I’m stuck with the simplified one-size-fits-all privacy policy. As with the clothes, I’m not entirely comfortable wearing it.
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