The new Google Privacy Policy: Read it!

Posted by on Jan 27, 2012 | 2 comments

I received an email from Google today notifying me that theyare updating their privacy policy. I will admit, I normally don’t pay too muchattention to privacy policy updates. For the most part, I believe that the webis an open space and that each of us has a personal responsibility for what wewilling post or put out there. In other words, I’m not going to post anythingon Facebook that I would be ashamed to have splashed all over the news. I takepersonal responsibility for what I share, I don’t expect a money-makingcorporation to do it for me. (No, that is not permission for my Facebookfriends to reveal just how much I play Café World!)

However, my view on this topic is changing – largely becauseour online world is changing. The evolution of social media is blurring thelines between our online lives and our real lives. The existence of Red FeatherNetworking is a product of that. We exist because we connect over social mediaAND in person. I used to think of my online presence as a “public” presence andmy offline presence as my “personal” life. Things have changed. I want to use the onlinetools social media is providing us to enhance that “personal” life. So I needto start paying attention to privacy policies and how my information is beingused by companies and protected from being shared.

Back to the new Google privacy policy. In the past,Google has had separate privacy policies for many of its products. They are nowputting out one Google policy that covers all of their products. Much easier inmy opinion! It’s not written in legalese, and it has links out to the differentareas it references. I recommend you take a look at the Transparency and Choicesection of the document. Google has a tool that allows you to control andchange the amount of information you share with them. You can review andcontrol some types of information that is tied to your account with the GoogleDashboard. You can view how your profile looks to different people, and you cantake information out of some Google services if you don’t want to share it withthem. There is also a feature where you can give Google information about whattype of advertising you want to see. I find this amusing because while it’smutually beneficial, it’s also doing some of the work for them in terms oftheir targeting online advertising. At least you can eliminate ads for thingsthat aren’t relevant to you!

I was a bit taken aback in reading about exactly how much tracking Google does of individuals. Of course I knew it was going on. My Google search results are clearly targeted to my geographic location and my interests. But I simply hadn’t stopped to think about what they are collecting, how it’s being used, and how it might be shared. I plan on delving into this more and will probably do a bit of customizing to the amount of types and information I share. While I appreciate those targeted search results, I also think there is a limit. I’m still figuring out where that limit is for me and how much control I have over it, but this is a start.

Even if you are a believer in the open web and don’tusually pay much attention to privacy policies, I urge you to take a minute tolook over the new Google privacy policy. And maybe start at least skimming oversome of the other privacy policies you never read. You just might save yourselfsome headaches down the road as the Internet becomes increasingly integratedinto our lives.
Kelly Phillips is a self-proclaimed Learning and Development Passionista and shares inspirations and insights on theEffective Training & Design blog. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyPhillipsNC

Things I Learned From The Internet – 8/12/11

Posted by on Aug 13, 2011 | 0 comments

I spend a lot of time on the internet.  A lot.  And with all that time wasting research, I'm bound to learn a thing or two.   I regularly share my favorites with you.  Enjoy!

 

Robyn talks for a living and chronicles her adventures over at Professional Talker.

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