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Google DOES care about your privacy
Yes, in classic, classy, we're-as-transparent-as-a-pane-of-glass-covered-in-morning-dew understatement, Google has prepared a lovely set of slides that outline their privacy policies and the data that's collected. A large portion is also spent extolling their virtues -- which is fair enough, considering how much awesome functionality Google and its apps have.
Amongst other juicy bits, did you know that Google has an Ads Preferences Manager? Once there you can opt out of those pervasive 'interest-based' ads that you've probably noticed while surfing the 'net.
How about the slightly-scary-sounding Data Liberation Front? They exist for the sole purpose of 'escaping Google' -- if you want to leave Gmail, they can tell you how. It reminds me a little of that 'Google Opt-Out Village' Onion parody.
If you want more, you can either head over to Google Public Policy Blog, or you can watch the presentation itself after the break.
Comments
18
Subscribe to commentsder_tuxmanDec 20th 2009 12:24PM
Google does care about our privacy so much that they even want to help us to protect it by using THEIR DNS servers... oh come on. Liars.
BernieDec 20th 2009 12:50PM
That picture doesn't show that they care about privacy. "Does not identify users", well, last time I checked my name isn't attached to my IP address so they actually do log everything they can.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 20th 2009 1:09PM
Yep, it is identifiable through court-order, but again... anything in this world is -- unless records aren't kept.
I assume there's a reason records ARE kept (for 9 months, or whatever they say).
I wonder if it IS for law-enforcing reasons...
BernieDec 20th 2009 7:03PM
That's what I mean, yes it's (names, location) identifiable by court order but it isn't directly in any of the data Google has.
That picture you showed has Google claiming that they don't log user identities. But they don't have their identity information directly. They're claiming that they withhold from logging information that they wouldn't have gotten.
I just don't get what they're claiming that they don't log.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 20th 2009 7:13PM
Hm... I don't think they are claiming any kind of privacy -- beyond the fact that Google (and its employees) don't know your name or address.
The point is, that kind of data is available to any kind of web service that you use.
The fact that you can opt out of the ads and 'escape Google' via the Data Liberation Front is quite some steps ahead of some other web services :)
AndyDec 20th 2009 1:09PM
Isn't the cookie ID an identifier unique to the individual's PC and the IP provide a rough geo location? It takes very little work from there on to identify which household the searches are coming from. Log into any Google services under your own name and you then become completely identified.
Google has so much info on its users and apparently (according to ol' Eric) it's "important" that info is passed onto governments under the patriot act when requested.
ZargggDec 20th 2009 3:15PM
So in other words, Google, DOES uniquely identify users and can cross-reference search queries, cookie IDs, and IP addresses.
sitrucDec 20th 2009 5:44PM
I read this as google cares about your information more than google cares about privacy.
BasDec 20th 2009 6:05PM
Maybe so...
But with a company run by someone making statements like Schmidt did, we need to remain critical and thorough in protecting our privacy.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 20th 2009 6:10PM
Very, very true.
And I think the problem is, despite how critical and cautious we become, it's still very hard to actually escape.
Free, useful services that are better than most paid-for equivalents...
How can you escape that? :)
Kenn.keeperDec 20th 2009 8:03PM
Everything in your life is being monitored, why complain, just be paranoid like the rest of the world....
Free is Good
Kenn.....
nobody2youDec 21st 2009 10:05AM
Yeah Right! and Windows does'nt have any bugs in it. and the government is not going to raise taxes, and now we can have world peace, and there is no need to worry about global warming, and oil is going to be $20 a barrel next year.
just my 2cents
MyriaDec 21st 2009 9:40AM
It's exceedingly unclear how any of this shows that google not only doesn't care about my privacy, but actively seeks to invade it in every way, shape, and form they can possibly get away with.
Seriously, they have your IP, they have your cookies, they have your e-mail, they have your calendar, and you think they don't know who you are?
Really?
Oh, wait, you can escape all that? No shit, sherlock, thanks for the lesson in the idiotically obvious. Now let's talk about how their entire business model is based on the fact that most people won't know that, nor have a clue how.
Google's business IS invading your privacy, nothing more or less. If that's an acceptable trade-off to people for the services they provide, fine. But let's not pretend it's anything else, hmmm?
Sebastian AnthonyDec 21st 2009 9:48AM
Ah, strong feelings!
The problem is, Google is no different from any other corporation in this regard. They have a business (advertising), and they are trying their best to make the most of it.
Unfortunately, advertising's key requirement is knowing its recipients. Television is the same -- research is done so that advertisers know which demographics watch any given show.
The Internet/Google is just the next stage of that. Short of going back in time, or shutting down the Internet, that's not going to change.
At least Google provides some incredibly valuable services. It's not like they go out of their way to collect more information than they 'should' -- you can guarantee that other companies collect the same data; they're just not as prolific or omnipresent as Google.
techpopsDec 22nd 2009 4:32PM
I think its much worse than just having your IP, email and calendar. If you really embrace the world of Google you have checkout which gives them your address and financial details and the health service I haven't used (not available to my country) but I assume that further adds medical history to the mix.
So as well as knowing what you're looking for, where you live, your health past and present, who you're talking to, what's on your mind in general and what you're planning to do in the future. They have some of the smartest minds creating software to combine all that for profit. And while that would seem to be harmless ad targeting. It could also mean the selling of that information to other companies, countries or governments.
But what I really want to know is, how can I stay logged into Google services without that annoying logout every so many days? :)
When the Google spiders enter the real world and start scanning your eyeballs by force, I'll switch to hotmail honest, well maybe, I mean if they're cute spiders where's the harm really?
madness222Dec 23rd 2009 1:41AM
Of course they give privacy for all the users who are using Google, because there is a so called privacy international which raised many concerns regarding the dangers and privacy implications such as email, so Google claims that mail sent to or from G mail is never read by a human being beyond the account holder, and is only used to improve relevance of advertisements.
GavJan 3rd 2010 5:58AM
I don't know why but the slide with the English to Welsh translation of 'We come in peace' made me laugh.
Sebastian AnthonyJan 3rd 2010 10:44AM
I think they probably chose that because it sounds most alien-like... :P