Google’s new privacy policy has been in effect for over a month now, but there’s still some confusion surrounding the changes. In summary, all information will now be centralized for each user into a single profile. Before the new policy, each Google service-from Gmail to Google Scholar-had it’s own privacy terms.
Google provides a page describing and listing their new terms and policies on their website. To get a better understanding of how these changes affect users, though, it is important to look at both the benefits of the new policy and the harms.
The announcement of Google’s new policy sparked an onset of concern from some users about how the changes would affect their privacy while using the Internet. Google stated that it will not be collecting any new information. It will simply be combining the information it already collects to get a more complete knowledge of who each user is.
Those who are worried about their privacy should have been worried a long time ago. Even before the changes, Google collected data from your usage, information and the location from the device you are using, the personal information you provide and all of your browsing information.
If you are concerned about your privacy, there are a few steps you can take to prevent Google from collecting your information:
Google is being even clearer about their new policies than before. By combining most of their old terms and policies into one, they make it easier for users to find information, read through all of that information and use Google’s services in a manner that they find safe. Furthermore, Google has stated that it will not sell user information to outsiders.
The user will benefit from this information sharing with ads more targeted to his or her interests, a closer relation between the Google and YouTube search histories and more clarity about the programs he or she is using. Google has also said that the changes will create a more integrated experience while using their services.