Google announces privacy policy change to help users find ‘more relevant search results’
Google has announced that a change into its privacy policy will come into place from 1 March, streamlining the process.
The single privacy policy will apply to Google search, Gmail, YouTube and Google+, its social networking site, with the main change being for those who have Google accounts.
Explaining the changes, Google said: “We use the information that we collect from all of our services to provide, maintain, protect and improve them, to develop new ones and to protect Google and our users. We also use this information to offer you tailored content – such as giving you more relevant search results and ads.”
Alma Whitten, director of privacy, product and engineering, said in a blog post about the changes: “There’s so much more that Google can do to help you by sharing more of your information with … well, you. We can make search better—figuring out what you really mean when you type in Apple, Jaguar or Pink. We can provide more relevant ads too. For example, it’s January, but maybe you’re not a gym person, so fitness ads aren’t that useful to you.
“We can provide reminders that you’re going to be late for a meeting based on your location, your calendar and an understanding of what the traffic is like that day. Or ensure that our spelling suggestions, even for your friends’ names, are accurate because you’ve typed them before. People still have to do way too much heavy lifting, and we want to do a better job of helping them out.”