Google, here we go again.....

the watchman

More and more info.........
So have you seen it? Its all happening in March. They want more and more and more Information on you. Their appetite has no end.
Still surprised they haven't asked for Blood type yet.

Of course its only to help them help you! ...you know what, I'm happy enough as it is. Why don't they let things be or make it optional....

Options are nice and friendly.:D

One day the world will turn around and say, 'My God what have we done' as I've said before...too late then boys. Sighs....:).

yoyo

I don't understand, are Google going to need more details from us in March, whats up? Got a link?

Nick

Statistician

Probably referring to this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16720406

Critics have hit out at Google's decision to merge personal data from YouTube, Gmail, search, social network Google+ and dozens of other services.

Forthcoming changes to privacy settings will see data shared across all these platforms. Users cannot opt out of the changes.

I've just opened a yahoo account, so I'll use that instead of gmail.

chin_grin

Probably means this email I've just received.

Dear Google user,

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. Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.

We believe that this stuff matters so please take a few minutes to read our updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Service at http://www.google.co.uk/policies. These changes will take effect on 1 March, 2012.


One policy, one Google experience

Easy to work across products
Our new policy reflects a single product experience that does what you need, when you want it to. Whether reading an email that reminds you to schedule a family get-together or finding a favourite video that you want to share, we want to ensure that you can move across Gmail, Calendar, Search, YouTube or whatever your life calls for, with ease.

Tailored for you
If you’re signed in to Google, we can do things like suggest search queries – or tailor your search results – based on the interests that you’ve expressed in Google+, Gmail and YouTube. We’ll better understand which version of Pink or Jaguar you’re searching for and get you those results faster.

Easy to share and collaborate
When you post or create a document online, you often want others to see and contribute. By remembering the contact information of the people you want to share with, we make it easy for you to share in any Google product or service with minimal clicks and errors.

Protecting your privacy hasn’t changed
Our goal is to provide you with as much transparency and choice as possible through products like Google Dashboard and Ad Preferences Manager, alongside other tools. Our privacy principles remain unchanged. And we’ll never sell your personal information or share it without your permission (other than rare circumstances like valid legal requests).

Understand how Google uses your data
If you want to learn more about your data on Google and across the web, including tips and advice for staying safe online, take a look at http://www.google.co.uk/goodtoknow

Have questions?
We have answers.
Visit our FAQ at http://www.google.co.uk/policies/faq to read more about the changes. (We reckoned our users might have a question or twenty-two.)

Notice of Change
1 March, 2012 is when the new Privacy Policy and Terms will come into effect. 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.

Please do not reply to this email. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered. Also, never enter your Google Account password after following a link in an email or chat to an untrusted site. Instead, go directly to the site, such as mail.google.com or www.google.co.uk/accounts. Google will never email you to ask for your password or other sensitive information.

ShooterSF

Personally I get a lot of good service from google. I use their email system as I prefer it to hotmail yahoo etc and even use it for my own domains email. I use their search engine almost exclusively. I use youtube to watch a lot of videos and have had hours of education/entertainment from them. I even use a phone whose core software was largely developed by them.
All of this I do without directly handing them a single cent (not sure about android...). So they can have my details if it makes them the profit they need to continue to provide me with such services for no cash exchange.
If an alternative was set up which kept my details under lock and key but charged me money to make the business profitable I'd still use google all day long.
To each their own I guess but if my details are worth something I'd rather hand them over than give up hours of my life to pay for the same service.

Statistician

ShooterSF wrote: »

Personally I get a lot of good service from google. I use their email system as I prefer it to hotmail yahoo etc and even use it for my own domains email. I use their search engine almost exclusively. I use youtube to watch a lot of videos and have had hours of education/entertainment from them. I even use a phone whose core software was largely developed by them.

Well, for me, I just stopped and considered just how much information google has already collected about me.
I have thousands of emails about all aspects of my life, some quite personal. Passwords, bank account details, work information, medical details, revenue emails - it's all there, in my gmail account.

If a company approached me and said that if I give them a filing cabinet with all my personal records in it (as above), and they'd 'look after' it for me - I'd laugh at them! Now google has amassed all this information and I realise what a position I've put myself in and it's scary. I rely on them far too much, and there is nothing stopping them trawling my info for their adwords (that's what they are getting out of it BTW - gmail isn't really 'free')

With this extra stuff, they are now going to know what you are searching for, what youtube vids you watch - probably what sexual fetishes you have!

For me, it's a step too far.

Kenny Logins

You can check in here and see what info is gathered -

https://www.google.com/dashboard/

ShooterSF

Statistician wrote: »

Well, for me, I just stopped and considered just how much information google has already collected about me.
I have thousands of emails about all aspects of my life, some quite personal. Passwords, bank account details, work information, medical details, revenue emails - it's all there, in my gmail account.

If a company approached me and said that if I give them a filing cabinet with all my personal records in it (as above), and they'd 'look after' it for me - I'd laugh at them! Now google has amassed all this information and I realise what a position I've put myself in and it's scary. I rely on them far too much, and there is nothing stopping them trawling my info for their adwords (that's what they are getting out of it BTW - gmail isn't really 'free')

With this extra stuff, they are now going to know what you are searching for, what youtube vids you watch - probably what sexual fetishes you have!

For me, it's a step too far.

It depends really on a mix of how integrated you want the net to be with your life and who you trust with sensitive info I guess. Than's a whole other discussion! I'm not saying that there is no argument against google's method but rather that I accept it personally. I know stuff isn't "Free" but rather it's an exchange, my info for their service.
I'm just a happy little sell out If a restaurant asked me for all that info so they could tailor advertising somehow at me for cheaper/free food I'd jump there too. Money costs me time, precious rare time.

Though you do make a valid point on just how much info people freely put up on the net though but I don't think that's a google specific issue. They're not going to sell your passwords though they may get stolen, that can happen regardless of the company you share them with.

Statistician

ShooterSF wrote: »

It depends really on a mix of how integrated you want the net to be with your life and who you trust with sensitive info I guess.

I don't want my life to be integrated with the internet at all. This is the reason I don't have a facebook account, for example. It really is amazing how little value people have on privacy.

Then again, I'm probably in a minority.

ShooterSF

Statistician wrote: »

I don't want my life to be integrated with the internet at all. This is the reason I don't have a facebook account, for example. It really is amazing how little value people have on privacy.

Then again, I'm probably in a minority.

I'd imagine we're both in a minority that thinks about how much info they publish on the net and of that minority I would be in the minority that accept it.

:P

the watchman

So I guess thats 3 of us. We definiteley are in a minority. We could start an exclusive club:D.

I am a privacy freak. But I like freedom. People who want to give all their personal information to global companies should be allowed to do so. Its when its forced that annoys me. Don't say it,(dont use it lol).
It should be optional.
'Options are nice and friendly.
As we all know by now it can get lost stolen and misused etc. If they didn't have it in the first place it couldn't get lost stolen etc.
And as for 'we will never give it to 3rd parties etc' take a look at this......

The Groupon company states the following:

We collect personally identifiable information ("PII") that is volunteered during Registration or in response to specific information requests explicitly presented to you.



We will never sell or rent your PII to anyone else for their marketing purposes without your consent.

Now then thats very reassuring isn't it. Only Groupon will hold your info.

OH, but wait a minute!

When you look further into their privacy stuff it states:

However, we may pass your PII to our agents and subcontractors to help us with any of our uses of your data set out in this Policy. For example, we mayuse third parties to provide us with marketing or customer service assistance or send it to a credit card provider to process a payment.


So now then the truth is in fact that all of a sudden there is an array of 3rd parties subcontracters and agencies that have your information. Of course Groupon trust them all don't they. 'course they do:D
********************************************
I don't do facebook and the only twitters here are in the garden!

Cuddlesworth

Statistician wrote: »

I don't want my life to be integrated with the internet at all. This is the reason I don't have a facebook account, for example. It really is amazing how little value people have on privacy.

Then again, I'm probably in a minority.

Statistician wrote: »

Well, for me, I just stopped and considered just how much information google has already collected about me.
I have thousands of emails about all aspects of my life, some quite personal. Passwords, bank account details, work information, medical details, revenue emails - it's all there, in my gmail account.

If a company approached me and said that if I give them a filing cabinet with all my personal records in it (as above), and they'd 'look after' it for me - I'd laugh at them! Now google has amassed all this information and I realise what a position I've put myself in and it's scary. I rely on them far too much, and there is nothing stopping them trawling my info for their adwords (that's what they are getting out of it BTW - gmail isn't really 'free')

With this extra stuff, they are now going to know what you are searching for, what youtube vids you watch - probably what sexual fetishes you have!

For me, it's a step too far.

I don't understand this level of paranoia. Google has data on billions of people. There is no person sitting behind a desk perving on your browsing habits and mail. A algorithm is going through the words in your mail and your known browsing history, placing values on these things and searching through relevant ads for those best placed to generate a click which in turn generates a sale. Its a business model, one that relies on reliable data. Your not special, your just a statistic.

I'm happy with the service they provide and would be far more worried about facebook. A employee there could easily query their database and reference raunchy chat and pm's sent from people in known marriages to people who were not the other half. Plus lots of other good stuff. The data there is far more detailed and valuable, google wants a slice of that pie.

ScumLord

I tend to trust Google and the what with the amazing things Google can do with a bit of search history I think it's well worth letting their computers track what I'm doing. it's not like they've assigned an employee to sit and watch what I'm doing to use against me at a later date like some Gestapo group, a computer is blindly using my data to improve the service.

conti

The thing I find wicked annoying is that every so often when I log into gmail I get a screen asking for my phone number. It has big bright inviting input box and a big colourful submit button, but the option to skip this process is written in tiny grey text against a white background down in the bottom corner. Legit? I guess, but most people will not see the option to bypass entering their phone number and they'll just go ahead and do it. Well played, Google. Very sly, but well played.

Cuddlesworth

conti wrote: »

The thing I find wicked annoying is that every so often when I log into gmail I get a screen asking for my phone number. It has big bright inviting input box and a big colourful submit button, but the option to skip this process is written in tiny grey text against a white background down in the bottom corner. Legit? I guess, but most people will not see the option to bypass entering their phone number and they'll just go ahead and do it. Well played, Google. Very sly, but well played.

If somebody got control of your account, would you be happy waiting for a day or two to get it back? The mobile number is for authentication and costs them money to send you texts.

conti

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

If somebody got control of your account, would you be happy waiting for a day or two to get it back? The mobile number is for authentication and costs them money to send you texts.

Don't get me wrong, I do trust Google. I just draw the line at giving my phone number online, and I don't like how they go about getting it for the reason outlined in my previous post.

the watchman

here's who you are putting your trust in............

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/how-a-conman-showed-up-googles-ad-scam/story-e6frg6n6-1226254002249


food for thought for some.............

vibe666

i thought lifehacker hit the big googly nail on the head with this piece: http://lifehacker.com/5878900/google-is-facebook-is-aol-what-happens-when-a-good-google-goes-bad