We’ve known that this was coming for a few days now, but this morning, Google users got this message:
We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to read.
Gee, that sounds great. Thanks Google! … Wait, what? I can’t opt out and now you’ll know everything about me??
So are you saying I just agreed to let Google see the pictures I posted to Picasa? (I swear it’s not as bad as it looks!) Store all of my search terms? (yes, I Googled Bieber. Leave me alone.) But do I really want Google reading my mind and telling me that I forgot to leave work in time to make it to my dentist appointment? Maybe.
Here’s the deal. Some will love it. Some will hate it.
If you’re signed into Google, any move you make in a Google product will be stored. The data will allow Google to tailor your online experience. For example, I upload a picture of my cat Victoria, and talk about how awesome she is. Two days later, I search* for images of “Victoria.” Google will assume that I want to find pictures of my cat and not Posh Spice, so they’ll push pictures of my cat to the front of the results. Convenient or creepy?
The scenarios of how Google will use the information to customize your experience, and how it will affect SEO, are extensive. PCWorld and Mashable have good overviews.
What side of the fence are you on?
*Personalized search can be turned off, but for the sake of my example, it’s on!
I think Google is being surprisingly good about privacy, despite my reservations re: the inability to opt-out. The firm is giving users over a month to get used to the idea, unlike a certain other platform I can think of. More than 20 years later, we’re still coming to terms with what the internet means, and the law has not caught up yet. Like it or not, Google and its peers are setting the groundwork–although I suppose it says a lot when my response is basically, “Well, at least they are warning us…”
I’m not too worried, but I’ll probably log out of G+ and Gmail before I do any serious Web browsing. 🙂