You are hereGoogle Streamlines Its Privacy Policy. Should Facebook Be Next?
Google Streamlines Its Privacy Policy. Should Facebook Be Next?
Location-based service Echo Echo recently posted the above image to their blog in a (successful) attempt to garner some media attention as the debate around online privacy continues to rage.
As extreme as their“If Mark Zuckerberg Cared About Privacy” example is, it does call attention to the needless complexity of various web service privacy agreements, settings and policies.
In the wake of a $8.5 million lawsuit settlement today, search giant Google made a gesture of good faith in the “caring about privacy” department, assuring users that it was taking steps in order to make the minutae of online privacy easier to understand.
“For example, we’re deleting a sentence that reads, ‘The affiliated sites through which our services are offered may have different privacy practices and we encourage you to read their privacy policies,’ since it seems obvious that sites not owned by Google might have their own privacy policies.”
Perhaps this concerted movement towards being more transparent and simple with regards to privacy would also work well for Facebook which, like Google, is currently involved in various privacy scuffles.
In the wake of the backlash it faced following its announcements at f8, Facebook has been doing everything it can to reinforce its message that it cares deeply about privacy. Last week it rolled out new “drastically simplified” privacy controls, making it easier to quickly adjust your settings.
Google appears to be getting a tad paranoid about its own privacy policies on the heels of the whole Google Buzz debacle.
Man, another day, another “Google in privacy uproar” story. I guess my name is Phil Connors. The UK Information Commissioner has said that yes, in fact, Google did commit a “significant breach” of the Data Privacy Act when it collected people’s private information with its Street View vehicles. Great, so what happens now?
If Blizzard wanted to spark a discussion, well, job done. The company’s plan to bring Real ID to its message boards has done nothing if not freak people out. Do keep freaking out.
After much hullabaloo, Google and the Federal Trade Commission have kissed and made up. This, only a few days after Google admitted to “accidentally” collecting people’s private data with its Street View cars. Google had promised, in so many words, that it would never do that (collect people’s private data) again, a promise that satisfied the FTC. And, scene.
