Recently the New York T'simes published an article about Interent privacy, specifically Google's aim to simplify its privacy policies. Most internet users are familiar with the existence of these privacy policies, however neither full understand them nor understand where their privacy ends. These policies often are very long, it was written in the article that Facbook's is actually longer than the constitution. Because of the policies length and complex nature with unique jargon that is unfamilar and confusing to the average user there has been a movement to simplify them. The privacy polices, along with the service terms are often clicked on as accepted by most users without knowing what they have agreed to which is leading to major issues. Therefore, Google has began an effort to make their policies and service term aggrements user friendly so to speak. That way the user understands where and how the information they provide or upload onto a service is used and processed. Google hows their shortened policies will take effect as soon as October 3, 2010. However it is important to note that Google does not intend on changing its policies, it merely is planning on making the "language and presentation...more transparent and understandable". It seems that the change has not come soon enough, especially considering the heat Google has recieved from a consumer watchdog group on Thursday. The group accusses Google of taking advantage of users information and "not allowing them to opt out of Google's data collection online."
I believe that their should be a revision of the privacy policies and service term agreements so that users can be informed to what they are agreeing to. These aggrements that require only the click of a button and have to be accepted in order to use a service and difficult to understand and force users into accepting a contract as it were with out free choice or knowledge. I furthermore think that beyond changing the language and presentation that the policies themselves should be put under review and ammended for the better protection of the users.
New York Times by Nick Bilton dated Sept 3, 2010 2:57 pm titled Google to Simplify Its Privacy Policy
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