Over the last few days, I’ve been doing a fair amount of reading about Google’s new privacy policy. It has received some positive and negative views. Privacy, to many, is a premium; we don’t want our information shared or sold to anyone. Of course, I enjoy privacy, too.
Here’s a (not so) little secret, though. When you log onto Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., your information is out there. You signed up for a Gmail account or to have a Twitter profile, you understood there was a risk. So why so many complaints about your privacy being infringed upon? Because we all need something to take issue with nowadays.
Let’s be perfectly honest, if we were all so worried about our privacy, we wouldn’t be sharing photos of what shoes or suits we like on Pinterest, we wouldn’t let people know that we were “in a relationship with so and so” on Facebook, and we certainly wouldn’t let everyone know we just purchased a venti java chip at Starbucks via Foursquare.
Privacy is something we like to throw around like we still value it. Sure, I don’t want people to know my bank account statements or medical history. But, I’ve chosen to be on social networks and if you are reading this, so did you.
Remember the uproar over Facebook’s privacy changes? Yup, it didn’t last too long. Here’s what Google had to say in an email they sent to users over the weekend:
Dear Google user,
We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to read. Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.
We believe this stuff matters, so please take a few minutes to read our updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Service at http://www.google.com/policies. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2012.
Pretty simple, right?
The bottom line here is that we have chosen to live our lives online now. If you don’t agree with the changes to Google, Facebook, or whatever social network adjusts their policies, shut down your profile. It’s that easy. However, I’m thinking you’ll continue to go on posting updates and photos just like everyone else.
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