By Clint Boulton, eWeek
Google risked drawing the ire of privacy pundits and federal regulators Jan. 24 with its augmented privacy policies. The practices, which kick-in March 1, call for a single, unified privacy policy to preside over 60 of Google’s 70 products that previously had disparate privacy rules. What this means is users of Google search, YouTube, Gmail and Google Docs and Calendar will all be using the services under the banner of one privacy policy. This may sound fantastic to some users and for government regulators who lament complex, long-winded legalese—until you get down to the other details. Going forward, Google account users may have their data from Gmail or YouTube cross-pollinated with Google search, Calendar and dozens of other Google applications. Users can’t opt out of these privacy changes without closing their Google accounts, a radical measure for most users. The eWEEK slide show examines the policy details and the public backlash that is already gathering strength.
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