Not sure what to make of this. Does anyone have any insight/alternatives? It seems to me that, since Google has become so popular and widely used, they are now in a position to overstep their boundaries. Am I wrong, and why/why not? http://www.google.com/policies/
I received notice of the change from Google two days ago, via my gmail. It seems as though if someone has a Google account, their every step is going to be monitored. I am troubled by it. But unsure at this point what I will do. I suppose the only recourse would be to discontinue using Google and it's affiliates... including gmail and youtube. I'm not sure of the privacy policies of others like Yahoo or Bing... but they are likely to follow suit.
It seems that Yahoo is very similar already in their policies. What bothers me most is, that Google has endeared themselves so much, that most will go on using them without questions asked. Really, what choices do we have anymore?
I know, Shang. It is very frustrating, and should be of concern to everyone. Thanks for the heads-up on Yahoo, I have never use it. I didn't know. Honestly, at this point I suppose I will be one of the folks you alluded to... and will continue to use Google. Perhaps however, with a bit more discretion.
I got the gmail notice on my phone at 1am and it woke me up. That annoyed the hell out of me. If I read it is it gonna annoy me worse? lol So what is the deal?
Great, maybe they can text me when I roll over and wanna sleep on my face. I refuse to wake up with a bag under one eye. Ok in all seriousness. I just read the terms and policies. What am I missing here?
LOL ~ I've heard that Preparation H works for that. All they are gonna do is more closely track and record/store, your surfing habits. Maintaining a record of ones web history, is probably the most troubling issue I have with it. Probably the first major indication of it's full implementation for you and I, will be increased spam into our gmail. Another thing, which I believe they have already implemented is, for example, when you search youtube for a specific song or video... next time you visit youtube, similar video of music by the same artist will be displayed. Probably more of a pain in the butt, than anything ominous. ~~~~~~~ ...but you can still pretend to be frightened, and cuss and raise hell with Google, if you wish.
That's exactly my problem. No, not the Prep H, nor do I think its a conspiracy or whatnot. The fact that they track, and bug me with, my surfing habits, is what bothers me. Yeah, and lack of alternatives (unless I just can't find any comparable ones) I realize they have to make money, and ads do bring it, but hey, its an invasion in my privacy.
I don't understand Google. They scored massive points with the public for speaking out against SOPA, and then like a week later they announce this. It's like buying a new car and then intentionally crashing it into a tree.
Google is getting too big for it's britches. It's gotten worse since they took over Youtube. It seems like every week the idiots are coming up with features or background designs that (*)(*)(*)(*) users off. And THAT has gotten worse over the last few months. You should see the Youtube feedback boards. Posters are posting everything except death threats against the site designers.
I think so also. Unlike your browser, where you can clear your history, or disallow tracking cookies... Google is now going to save all our surfing history, and apparently there is not a thing we can do to prevent it (other than completely stop using it). **It's interesting that this came about on the heels of all the SOPA uproar.** Haha ...I guess folks can't have things both ways.
That is exactly what I was thinking...what is that all about? Deflection? I don't like it at all. They seem intent on one log in covers all. Which I'm sure will lower their staffing bill, but some of us don't want to be traced from one site to another. If you log in are you traceable via all these different sites under one umbrella? If for example, people log onto Facebook, will it display their youtube account or other sites? Also Facebook is downloading a Timeline showing activity dating back years. I checked someone out today and it shows when they moved house to a new location and other things I think they would faint if they knew were public. Honestly I'm thinking of closing my FB account. But I have done that before after having a problem with some loons on a political forum (no offence) and it still sits there. The security arrangements on FB are so deliberately convoluted half the people don't know how to even use the privacy settings. I think it's potentially really dangerous.
Maybe we should all go back to America OnLine now, they keep search histories for only 3 months, they say. (Which is probably why they are the most hacked ones too.) What do you make of Google's new demands for more of your private data, such as your cell phone number and stuff for your login (e.g. e-mail), as per their new unified privacy policy?
I thought the new privacy infringement policy was/is slated to roll out March 1st., but I think they are already implementing it. Have any of you other Gmail users noticed an increase in the amount of spam you are receiving? I have, and can correlate them to specific searches I have typed into Google. Was just curious, any feedback welcome.
Yes, more spam mail is rolling in already. Search for xyz...guess what's in your mail box soon after? Yep, and offer for xyz. Now, if they bank my search history, are they also capable to do so with my passwords, any private numbers...? Let me ask again, what can we do about it? What are the alternatives?
Latest news on "No Tracking" built into browsers... The Wall Street Journal ~ Web Firms to Adopt 'No Track' Button
Another thing that can be done, is to sign into your Google account, navigate to stored history, and delete. As you'll find, there is also an option for stopping history storing. Read everything carefully, and be mindful of what you delete. ~~~~~~~ C/P from Google Help page... "Clicking Remove all Web History will erase all items from your Web History and stop your Web History from being recorded in the future. Instead, you might want to remove individual items. You can remove all Web History from your Google Account at any time. While signed in to your Google Account: Go to google.com/history Click Remove all web history. However, as is common practice in the industry, and as outlined in the Google Privacy Policy, Google maintains a separate logs system for auditing purposes and to help us improve the quality of our services for users."
Its good to have options. Sadly, privacy might be a thing of the past, when it comes to the internet at least.
I agree Shang, privacy on the net is virtually nonexistent. You know, what really gripes my butt about all this privacy stuff, is that these sites can't be trusted. They have almost no governmental regulation, and a free hand to store almost everything. An example of what I'm referring to, can be found in the WSJ link I provided previously... "And last week, Google acknowledged it had been circumventing the privacy settings of people using Apple Inc.'s Web-browsing software on their iPhones, iPads and computers. It stopped the practice after being contacted by The Wall Street Journal." Yeah, whatever! They admit to circumventing the privacy settings... but they promise not to do it again. LOL Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ... almost makes me want to talk like Falena!