Your opinion on Google's new privacy settings

[Yasupon 18]

KGghlPmebCY

Google is trying to screw us all over in preparation for ACTA and trying to sugar coat it so the people can't see past their bs

The new changes will pretty much merge every google service together (Google, Gmail, Youtube, Maps, Calender...) and grab every bit of information you share through each service, and store it. These new privacy settings are not private at all, and these new settings will take effect very, very soon. What is your opinion?

[Maiku 4]

Google has become the government's all seeing eye. As long as we use it's services, we are being monitored. It's Big Brother's best tool against us.

[nekkichi 6043]

that's why you keep a printed planner, search with yahoo and look up fisting porn with all google accounts logged out.

I highly doubt their services never shared private data between each other before.

also facebook is teamed up with bing, so that part of your web-privacy is not affected by google.cancer. (it has aids)

[Champ213 1858]

The new changes will pretty much merge every google service together (Google, Gmail, Youtube, Maps, Calender...) and grab every bit of information you share through each service, and store it.

Simple solution: don't share information with them that you don't want to be shared.

It's the same hysteria with the new FB timeline. "OMG, FB knows everything about me!!1!" Well, good grief. Maybe that's because some people feel compelled to input every fricking detail of their life and daily routine into it?

Seriously, whatever happened to personal responsibilty? Think about what you share. Don't be a stupid robot that just fills out every form and profile field that FB, Google etc. throw at you. As nekkichi said, log out of these services if you're not using them. You do not need a googlemail account to google, and you do not need a Youtube account to watch videos.

All these sites only know as much about you as YOU allow them to know.

Also, how any of this is connected to ACTA is quite beyond me. That's and entirely different story.

People need to keep their eyes open, be critical and aware of what they do online, but not dive into crazy conspiracy theories and hysteria.

[Kaye 296]

Google has linked their accounts for years... I can't see why I suddenly would be freaking out over it.

It's pretty much what Champ says to be honest, just don't share personal info. I'm pretty sure thinking about what you post before you do would solve half the problem already :s

[CAT5 9075]

I'm inclined to agree with Champ, but I also think the government has been monitoring us for ages anyways...

[LIDL 692]

I can see why Yasu and some groups of people concerns about this matter.

But we have to ask ourselves again, which commercial websites that doesn't get a little piece of our personal informations? It's not just Google.

Even if we can stop this, some irresponsible hands can just sell it to the third party whenever.

As for government, if not from internet, they can spy you from your telephone and bank account. And if they want to they can order any ISP to cooperate with them by giving out their costumer's informations.

I suppose some just surprised since this problems are exposed more openly these days, and got alerted because of it. Because it is new for them and they may not have idea/confuse how to handle it.

If one just that worried or paranoid, starts using TOR or something.

That might be the most palatable way to browse internet anonymously with dynamic IPs though not necessary the safest way.

[Zeus 7997]

There's really nothing to worry about. Google hasn't set a precedent for giving away personal information to third party vendors when asked (just check out this) and out of people I can think of off the top of my head they're the ones that are the most ardent activists for a free internet (or relatively free internet). I don't think they'll start now. Their grand master plan with unifying all of their user's accounts would be to figure out what you look for through their search engines, look up on YouTube and whatever else you search/watch/are into so that they can target specific ads towards you. Plenty of websites do that already, some not telling you that they do it. Google's just being upfront about it. Unless you google your SSN for some godawful reason, there's nothing Google can really do with your information now that they couldn't do before.

And seriously if someone WANTED to find out everything about you, they could regardless of the new privacy policy.

[Yasupon 18]

^ Makes sense.

I just thought that their ideas were strange and seemed more unecessary than anything. Also the fact that these changes are going to happen during the start of ACTA, but now that I think about it when DOES ACTA officially go into effect anyway? I heard it was also in March but I really have no idea anymore.

[nekkichi 6043]

I just thought that their ideas were strange and seemed more unecessary than anything. Also the fact that these changes are going to happen during the start of ACTA, but now that I think about it when DOES ACTA officially go into effect anyway? I heard it was also in March but I really have no idea anymore.

google keeps your account's search history since at least 2007, so this SOAP/WAHTA timing is pretty much coincidental.

google's unification of services was in works for about half of year for now, and that's the feature changes/redesign works release;

the work behind it also took time, quite a lot of it.

I'm inclined to agree with Champ, but I also think the government has been monitoring us for ages anyways...

WINDOWS VISTA IS SPYING ON YOU

[Yasupon 18]

So I guess it's not linked to ACTA; well that's good. It's still a pretty lame change they're making regardless, and Champ does make good points.

[nekkichi 6043]

by the way, for anyone concerned with google's policy changes,

you can remove your search history and pause its tracking on this page -

https://www.google.com/history/

I'm not sure if this option will be available under the new privacy policy.

[sai 868]

Anonymous advised doing it because with the new policy they would connect all the info from all your specific Google accounts (Google+, Google, YouTube etc.) and would know way more about you than they do now. I already deleted and halted mine.

[petitefeet 0]

I went through and deleted my history as well, and have started using my yahoo more. They have been working on linking things for a while, and I had a feeling that things would eventually get out of hand from a privacy perspective.