Students browsing online may have seen a notice pop up this past week: “We’re changing our privacy policy. This stuff matters.”
The message was from Google, which recently introduced a new privacy policy that will integrate user data from different services, such as YouTube and Google , to tailor advertisements and search results to users.
Google’s new universal policy will replace more than 60 product-specific privacy policies, allowing the company to track and customize user data from all services under a single set of rules applicable to all Google users.
The policy will then allow Google to compile the user data into personalized advertisements, search results and suggestions.
Though Google will not collect more data under the new policy, how the data is shared between different Google services will change, according to a statement from Google.
Currently, individual applications from Google do not share information. Under the new privacy policy, applications will share information compiled from users based on their online activities.
Those who already publish personal information on the Internet should not be concerned with the new policy, said Eric Bollens, a UCLA software architect.
Data compiled from different Google services will help create a better overall experience for users, Bollens said,
Based on data pertaining to music preferences, for example, Google can narrow results from a vague search term to a more refined result, he said.
Fourth-year electrical engineering student Sean Pan said he was in favor of the new privacy policy.
“Google is a business ““ why not use the data to show advertisements and suggestions relevant to the user?” Pan said.
Pan said he felt the new privacy policy would make it easier and faster to find results that users want.
The personalized searches and advertisements, however, could be considered invasive to users, said Nelson Gayton, former executive director of the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
“Users do not realize how valuable personal data is to a service provider,” Gayton said.
He said the personal data that Google obtains is useful for gaining advertisers to target different groups of people. But the adaptive tailoring of Google advertisements will make some users feel uncomfortable about the increasing level of information Google knows about users, Gayton said.
Third-year psychology student Joshua Won said he felt the new privacy policy is invasive in the way it suggests results and advertisements from user data. He said he thought it was a good idea in theory, but that it would give Google too much information about individuals if they compiled it from all of their services.
Won said, however, he will agree to the new privacy policy so that he can continue using other Google services.
There are currently no opt-out features in the new privacy policy, besides terminating an account.
The new privacy policy will go into effect in March.