The new policy is consistent across the vast majority of Google products, and it's in English; you don't have to speak legalese to understand it. But, the new privacy policy makes clear that Google will, for the first time, combine the personal data you share with any one of its products or sites across almost all of its products and sites (everything but Google Chrome, Google Books, and Google Wallet) in order to obtain a more comprehensive picture of you. And there's no opting out. This comes on the heels of Google's new Search, plus Your World, a feature combining search results from the public web with private information and photos you have shared (or that have been shared with you) through Google+ or Picasa.
So, what does Google's New Policy Mean for You?
Anytime you're signed into your Google account, whether on a computer, tablet, or Android phone, Google collects information about you – that's not new. But, come March, what you do on one Google-owned site will affect what content you might see on another Google-owned site. The head of Google's privacy for product and engineering explained on Google's blog that integrating an individual's profiles across Google's sites will help Google "figure[e] out what you really mean when you type in Apple, Jaguar or Pink," provide more relevant ads, "provide reminders that you're going to be late for a meeting based on your location, your calendar and an understanding of what the traffic is like that day" (thanks, Mom), and "ensure that our spelling suggestions, even for your friends' names, are accurate."
And while it's easy to see some of the benefits of the new policy, it's important to keep in mind the other implications of the changes. For example, have you ever Googled something you didn't want to tell your parents, spouse, friends, or doctor? Have you ever had a personal conversation over e-mail that you didn't want broadcast to the world? With this new integration, your e-mail content won't influence only what ads you see in Gmail, and your search terms won't influence just what ads you see when you're searching. As of March 1, your e-mail content and search terms could influence ads you see on any Google site. So, imagine watching a YouTube video with friends or family and suddenly having an ad based on what you assumed was a private e-mail conversation or a personal Google search appear. Yikes! And short of signing out of your Google account, there is no opting out. What's more, this data aggregation is not just about what ads you see, but as American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts describes, it creates an even larger treasure chest of personal information ripe for government picking. And what about anonymity? Google is planning to "replace past names associated with your Google Account so that you are represented consistently across all our services." But, what if you deliberately keep different names on your various accounts? What if, for instance, you want your e-mail address associated with your legal name, but would prefer for your YouTube account not to tie directly to you? Unfortunately, Google's new integration policy will make it very difficult, if not impossible, to do so.
"The laws governing our digital privacy are woefully inadequate and in some cases incredibly invasive, allowing for police access to our data even if they have no evidence that we've done anything wrong," notes the American Civil Liberties Union's Privacy SOS blog. Google's united privacy policy follows a radical expansion of the Patriot Act in January, giving FBI the power to access customer service records from Internet service providers, as well as financial institutions and credit companies, no court order required. So what sort of info is Google collecting about you? For some time now, Google's been able to connect your phone with your phone number and carrier, identify your computer model and OS (right down to the serial number), collect your IP address (traceable to your real-life address), and save what you've searched for. Google is now saying that it has the right to collect all of your call records, including who you call, when, for how long you talk, and SMS routing information. It doesn't say if this applies only to calls made through Google's services or if it is referring to calls you make on your mobile phone. After all, it already told us that it has the right to "associate your device identifiers or phone number with your Google Account," and to "collect device-specific information." Google, are you going to monitor our call logs now? Stay tuned for clarification on this point. The policy also states that Google will collect your location information, even if you have your GPS turned off. Additionally, it says it will collect cookies data and other information about your devices. But the policy also states that Google can change your information and show information about you to others without your express consent. What's more, this info is readily available to the feds should they ask for it, per the National Security Letter provision of the Patriot Act: who you've called, e-mailed, been – this info can even identify the real identity of anonymous posters on, say, political websites. No court order is required, further, the feds can forbid, or "gag" the ISP provider from telling you if or why your info was accessed. And access Google's growing trove of user info the U.S. government surely does – and as Google's government request page reveals, a whole lot more than other governments:
Here's how the ACLU Blog Suggests that you Improve Your Experience with the new Google Privacy Policy, Such as It Is:
- Review and control certain types of information tied to your Google Account by using Google Dashboard.
- View and edit your ads preferences, such as which categories might interest you, using the Ads Preferences Manager. You can also opt out of certain Google advertising services here.
- Use our editor to see and adjust how your Google Profile appears to particular individuals.
- Control who you share information with.
- Take information out of many of our services.