The news to start with is that Google, in these days, has updated its Privacy Policy, that is its rules for the processing of personal data of users who use the service. The main news is that now the Google Privacy Policy is more concentrated and restricted, easier to read and unique for all its services (Google is not only research but also Gmail, Youtube, Maps, Docs and much more).
This update comes after the decision to unify all Google applications in a single account protected by a single password that provides for the registration of an Email address with Gmail and the automatic creation of a profile on Google+.
Beyond the various quibbles of a privacy policy, what can be interesting to look at is how Google sees us, what it knows about us, what it can know about our preferences, work, hobbies and passions and also how it can identify us.
All this data is collected anonymously by Google through its sites and through Google Chrome for two reasons:
- To provide more relevant search results for each person.
- To get market indications and provide targeted advertisements and banners.
READ ALSO: Check all the data that Google collects about us
In the privacy policy it is indicated how Google records all the searches that are done on the internet on its search engine.
Every time you type something, information like this is sent to Google:
123.45.67.89 ( network identification IP address ) - 25 / Mar / 2003 10:15:32 ( date ) -
//www.google.com/search ">
Google offers two tools for verifying and controlling personal data for registered users:
1) one to check which personal data have been recorded on your Google account.
2) one to see what Google knows about us and what are the advertising preferences to display.
Of the first, the Google Dashboard, I had already talked about in the past.
From the //myaccount.google.com/dashboard page you can check each Google service used and what information is shared with the outside world.
In another article, I had already explained how Google search results change depending on the person or pc
The second one is called Ads on the web and shows a user profile automatically created by Google for a person, based on the searches made, on browsing habits and the websites visited.
This profile is generated to improve the relevance of the advertisements that must appear on a computer.
So, I think it's also a fun thing to see what, according to Google, I'm most interested in .
In my case the categories of interest are roughly spot on: Sports, News, technology, computers and the internet.
Wrong, however, is the expected age for me and, unfortunately, Google sees me older than I really am: Age: 35-44 .
Luckily he got it right that I'm a boy .
It is based on the information recorded by a particular cookie that Google releases every time you visit one of its sites or partners.
For Google, each person is an alphanumeric number in which parameters and some often inaccurate demographic information are recorded.
By clicking on the " remove or modify " link, you access the ad preference page where you cannot make changes but only remove categories or delete demographic information on Age and Gender.
therefore, the advertising profile cannot be changed, either taken as is or deactivated.
Also from the preferences pages, you can disable the cookie by pressing the Opt-out button.
This does not mean that the advertisements will disappear but that they will be random and no longer relevant for one's age, geographical origin and interests.
Personally, given that there is so much advertising and in some cases it can also be useful, I would leave everything as it is appreciating the fact that at least Google provides a tool of choice, albeit very limited.
Those who care about their privacy and do not want to share any information on the internet, neither with Google nor with other, much more aggressive, advertising networks, can install some plugins on their browser so as not to be tracked online by blocking the collection of personal data on the internet .
READ ALSO: Google account privacy control, searches and personal data
