Google said on Tuesday that it would revise its privacy policies and terms of service, to make them shorter and more readable.
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Google has been under the gun for privacy concerns lately - both in the US and Europe.
Very soon Google will make some changes to their privacy policies and Google Terms of Service. This stuff matters, so they wanted to explain what’s changing, why and what these changes mean for users.
Firstly, their privacy policies. Despite after shortening their policies in 2010, they still have more than 70 (yes, you read right … 70) privacy documents covering all of their different products. This approach is somewhat much more complicated. It’s also at odds with their efforts to integrate their different products more closely so that they can create a beautifully simple, intuitive user experience across Google.
So Google is now rolling out a new main privacy policy that covers the majority of their products and explains what information they collect, and how they use it, in a much more readable way. While they've had to keep a handful of separate privacy notices for legal and other reasons, they’re consolidating more than 60 into their main Privacy Policy.
Regulators globally have been calling for shorter, simpler privacy policies—and having one policy covering many different products is now fairly standard across the web.
These changes will take effect on March 1, and Google is starting to notify users today, including via email and a notice on their homepage.
What does this mean in practice? The main change is for users with Google Accounts. Their new Privacy Policy makes clear that, if you’re signed in, they may combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services. In short, they’ll treat you as a single user across all our products, which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google experience.
Their recently launched personal search feature is a good example of the cool things Google can do when they combine information across products. Their search box now gives you great answers not just from the web, but your personal stuff too. They can also do things like make it easy for you to read a memo from Google Docs right in your Gmail, or add someone from your Gmail contacts to a meeting in Google Calendar.
This new simpler policy will make it easier for people to understand their privacy practices as well as enable Google to improve their services. Whether you’re a new Google user or an old hand, please do take the time to read their new privacy policy and terms,learn more about the changes they’re making and understand the controls they offer.
