In January 2011, Google announced a sweepingnew privacy policy. According to Google, the policy is intended to make privacy more consistent and easier to understand across the company's suite of products, by unifying the approach to data privacy. In simple terms, that means that whenever you are logged into a Google product, the new policy applies, rather than an individual policy per product. It also means that data can be shared between Google products.
The new privacy policy was announced as a preview, giving users a period of just over a month to understand and become familiar with the policy. Google's press releases have focused on the idea that the business is being open and transparent, but privacy advocates aren't convinced. They see the move as further manipulation of user data by Google and that it users will have even less privacy than before.
If you use any of Google's products, the new policy could affect you in a number of ways.
Data will be shared across multiple applications
Wherever you are logged into a Google product, the new policy will apply. That means that if you are a Google + member, searches that you make through Google can share data between the applications. Previously, those searches would have remained in isolation. This new rule applies across all Google products. It means that users need to be aware how data that they use in one place could be shared with another.
Search results may become more personalized
Google search results could now be personalized further by sharing data from other Google applications that you use. Recommendations from our friends on Google +, for example, may now more significantly influence the ranking of results on search pages and specific search results may be highlighted more prominently. As Google products may now more routinely gather information about the device and operating system that you use, search results could also be influenced in this way.
Advertising may be targeted more personally
Google advertising will now be able to access information about your browsing history and other activities across a host of different Google products. This could greatly increase the relevance of advertising that is presented to you. This is a system that Google has long used for its advertising, but the breadth and volume of new data available to the site could significantly impact the way in which advertising is targeted.
Faster web experiences
Google's continued use of cookies and caching could enhance the performance of your web browser, particularly if you are on a mobile device or a tablet. Under the new privacy policy, details of this kind of hardware information will be stored whenever you access the Internet. This information could then be used to ensure that web pages are stored and or loaded in a way that makes the most effective use of your bandwidth and hardware.
Google's new privacy policy is far-reaching and it comes as no surprise that many analysts are concerned about the changes. While Google hasdefended the policy, explaining that users can log out for web searches or can use privacy settings to prevent the sharing of data, any issue around data privacy is bound to be contentious when it comes to the online tech giants. It can surely only be a matter of time post the launch of the new policy that a misuse or mistake in data protection is exposed.
source by helium
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