Google: Pretty Poor Privacy Policies

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/02/privacy-group-demands-ftc-force-google-to-roll-back-privacy-policy-changes.ars

Ah, Google. Why do you have to make such quality products, but have such poor privacy policies? Once again, I am torn in how I feel about being one of the many Google users in the world. It seems to me that, as the quality of Google's products and services go up, the protection of its privacy policies goes down. As a self-admitted Android, Chrome, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Navigation, and Google search (does anyone remember the old days when Google was just a search engine?) addict, I'm not about to stop using my Google products anytime soon. Hell, I'm writing this blog on Blogger, which has been owned by Google for nearly ten years, and so far, it has been a great platform for blogging on. However, the recent changes to their privacy policies has made me take a step back and be more aware of where my information is actually going.

Google claims that their new privacy policies are intended to, essentially, allow their products and services to work better together, and to be more integrated to allow for unique inter-application functionality. Let me just say, as someone who has used, or currently uses, nearly every product Google has to offer (including the criminally underused Google+), that Google's product integration is fine as it is! Google uses the bizarre example of using their GPS app in tandem with their Calendar app to alert you if you will be late to an appointment if you're too distant from a meeting location. What an incredibly useful feature! If my GPS doesn't tell me I'm late to an appointment, I just assume I'm always on time! Thank you, o Google wizards, for telling time for me, despite having a clock built into the phone. You are not being innovative by implementing features that have no need to be implemented in the first place.


If this is the shining example that Google wants to use to justify their weakened privacy policies, then I'll happily take the better privacy protection over the "magical GPS that tells time." According to EPIC (the Electronic Privacy Information Center), referenced in the article, Google's new privacy policy would, in regards to third parties (everyone except Google and its subsidiaries), "make it possible to  gain access to personal information which was previously unavailable to them." I am getting sick and tired of Google tracking my every move on the Internet and selling my browsing data. Google, just stop for a moment and listen: you're one of the largest companies in the world, you're likely the most profitable company on the Internet, and you are doing just fine. Your homepage is the most visited page on the Internet, so advertisers are already paying top dollar to advertise. You do not need to sell out the data of your loyal customers, just be happy with the mountains of cash you already have.

Sincerely,
Patrick J. Thomas