Google Changes Its Privacy Policy

With so much of our private data in the hands of global companies stored in servers around the world, who’s to say our data is entirely safe? One such company, Google, who has caused concerned in the past about how user data is handled, is changing their privacy policy on over 60 of its products. The move has sparked debate among U.S. lawmakers who argue that Google may be violating terms with the Federal Trade Commission. Also, many data-protection agencies are concerned that the policy change may limit the users’ control over their private information and what Google can freely do with it. The proposed change, effective March 1, involves your Gmail messages, YouTube viewing habits, Google Map directions from android devices, and several other online activities all being piled into an algorithm that changes the way you search for information on Google. Google has been collecting information on users for years leading them to provide users with more refined searches and more specific ads targeted at users. This begs the question, how much more information will Google know about its users after this new change? It’s surprising to see how well search engines like Google know it’s users but where is all that information going and is it safe?

So What's The Big Deal?

One concern was that Google did not offer an opt-out option for users to limit the sites tracking. Another concern is how advertising companies are using people’s data. Google has stated that they refuse to sell users data but as they expand their services, more and more information is being collected. With one company having such a detailed profile of its user’s, how can they guarantee that information is hundred percent safe. For more information on the policy change visit Google's homepage and a message under the search bar prompts users to click on it.

Christian Diaz is a freelance writer and tech enthusaist. You can follow him on Twitter.