A new Google privacy policy is in place, and a lot of web users are scratching their heads, or shaking in anger. Seriously, people just want to surf the web and harvest their crops on Facebook without "the man" checking to see if there are any hidden messages planted in their FarmVille cornfield.
User records from the search engine had been kept separated from the activities from other services, such as YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Docs, etc. All this changed on Thursday when the company began their unified privacy policy.
Now they state they will collect all information together, regardless of whether it is search or service related. A New York Times article says users could search for a specific geographic location, but YouTube wouldn't see what the person is searching for. Thanks to the new Google privacy policy, all services from this company will know what a user is doing collectively.
What does this mean for Internet users? It may not be a big deal for some, but a lot of folks are upset about the change since search engines are used for an array of reasons, from personal to professional. It would certainly be annoying to be searching something of a personal nature, only to go over to YouTube and see video recommendations related to one's search.
However, there are solutions; users can clear their browser history and not allow the search provider to use such information for advertising. (Visit GadgetWise via the New York Post for more tips on how to protect yourself.)
Do you think this new Google privacy policy is a good thing? Or is it just another way to spy on people online?
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