Google's new privacy policy fuels worries

In a move aimed at creating a simpler and more intuitive user experience, Google has announced changes to its privacy policy that will take effect on March 1. The reaction to the change has been far from positive. The subtext of the new policy is that users cannot opt out of the changes unless they close their Google account. "Currently it is a flat policy," Hari Iyer, an IT professional who deals with information security in Dubai, told Gulf News. The new policy unifies 60 privacy policies, and applies to all Google services. Iyer said, "With a single log in, Google will have details of what applications I access at any given time and place including details of my posts either on the social sharing service Google+ or content of my Gmail." Google product users have been alerted about the change through emails and search alerts, eliciting several critical comments. Adam Bray (@fisheggtree), a travel writer based in Cambodia, posted on twitter, "Google just issued an extensive privacy policy change, some of which is in response to governments' requests to censor users & content..." Probe move A lecturer on Human Rights in Colombia, Dayro Reyes Acosta (@djreyesa), tweeted: "Let's put attention to this new tech change. Our data future is on risk Google seeks to clarify new privacy policy". Blogger Sryokan (@sryokan) from Portland tweeted, "#Google changes it privacy policy on March 1st 2012. Hopefully it isn't an Opt-Out policy change like Facebook." The new policy has even worried privacy advocates. One US report stated that a leading lawmaker on privacy issues said he would ask for a probe into whether recently announced changes in how Google handles consumer data violated an agreement it made with the US Federal Trade Commission. In Dubai, Anthony Stilgoe, IT manager in an educational institute, told Gulf News that people are upset because the information a user shares through one service is no longer respective to that service. "Many aren't happy about information being shared across Google services." The plus side he explained was that Google will better understand a user's preferences. "Google can suggest tailor search results based on a user's separate activity on video-sharing website YouTube or email service Gmail. Automatic prompting If you search for an Audi A6 in Google search, it will automatically prompt the model number if you search for an Audi in YouTube. The same cross-referencing will apply in Google Maps or any other Google services. Gulf News spoke to Maha Abouelenein, the spokesperson for Google in the UAE. She said, "We have integrated our different products more closely. The new policy reflects our efforts to create one beautifully simple, intuitive user experience where we can treat you as a single user across all our products." To explain how this new policy will affect users, Abouelenein said, "When creating an entry in Calendar, users may expect our auto-suggest feature to suggest names from Gmail for people to invite to your event. Another example is how you can share driving directions with your Google+ circles without leaving Google Maps." When asked whether the new policy will make it harder for Google users to remain anonymous, Abouelenein replied, "Our commitment to protecting user privacy and to data liberation aren't changing." MENA region usage Saudi Arabia has the largest number of search queries per day followed by Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and the UAE — who together represent 70 per cent of all searches in the Mena region. Since local map domains were launched in the Mena region in 2011, there has been 50 per cent growth in usage. Google Maps usage grew at a phenomenal rate of 180 per cent in Egypt. Google Chrome is the leading browser in Tunisia, Libya, and Jordan and the second most popular browser in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Algeria and Morocco. Tips for online security -    Keep your private stuff private and don't publicly post personal information like name, address, and telephone number. -    Mark privacy settings so only selected users of your choice can see your personal information. -    Passwords are meant to be private so keep them that way. -    Think before you post or share information. -    Check Google's Family Safety Centre for more information: http://www.google.com/familysafety/ Information For more information on the new privacy policy, visit www.google.com/policies/