Will there still be any “privacy” left by the time they’re done?
With effect from the first of March, 2012, Google’s mandate to “do no evil” is going to be questioned. Look, no one is going to be actively or maliciously injured, but the personalising of Google may be going a bit too personal.
With the amendment of the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, your Google+ and YouTube social content will be published as part of regular search results. So, is this something that should concern you?
Apparently not; the new terms will be easier to understand, much less complicated, and more universal. But what does that mean for your privacy?
“Same old, same old” is what it looks like. Any internet service that lets you upload, post, share, e-mail etc. content needs your consent for changing, copying, dispensing, publishing, and displaying said content. And they need your permission to keep some rights (for sizing for different screen sizes etc.) even after you’ve removed your content. Basically, if you e-mail a video of a dog knitting and speaking Hebrew, and you remove it from your side, the people you sent it to are still able to view the video because it’s been copied and distributed – something you gave permission for by sharing the video in the first place.
These rights are what keep the internet fixed and working like a pro. These rights aren’t really changing – they’ve just been phrased in a way that’s easier to understand. No need to panic.
The updated copy of rights will apply to all Google services – unless expressly stated otherwise. And all the privacy policy will be doing is consolidating information gathered across the various Google services.
We all already get context-sensitive adverts in Gmail; you e-mail someone about wedding photographs and suddenly there are wedding photographers’ adverts popping up everywhere you look. Now, all your Gmail information is going to pool with your information from other Google services. Google will also be using data from your contacts and social circles to give more personal and relevant information in searches. As well as more sharing options.
As Paul Gil of About.com fame has indicated, privacy is a “delicate dance” and Google has already had an oopsy is this area once before; Google Buzz was initially populated will all your e-mail contacts. Anyone you’d ever sent a mail to could see all your bits and pieces (within Google Buzz – calm down). Awkward…
They’ve fixed that, and at the end of the day this new privacy policy means your Google services will work much better together and, should you want privacy, log out of Google. And come to accept and appreciate that Google has always had this information – with your permission.
PS: Your private e-mails within Gmail are not about to be published for the world to see. You’re still safe.
Your privacy is never private. Cloud computing is just another name for Big Brother watching over you. George Orwell is resting peacefully because there was not forceful take over of the individual. We were hypnotised into submission like Aldous Huxley predicted in Brave New World.
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