Google standard policy

Long story short Google got in trouble yesterday for the license agreement which accompanies their new browser ('Chrome') search online for 'Google Chrome EULA. They have since changed their license for the browser to something more reasonable but the original license was their standard license. The default license still applies to all Google services, which is what's drawn my attention (and that of others) by bringing Google's policies into scrutiny.

Their license states that anything you type into a Google service is owned by them (this includes Google mail and Google documents) in perpetuity.

I quote: “By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.”

Furthermore, Google's EULA also allows them to track your IP address, any information you type, personal information including gender, race, sexuality, location etc. from their search engine, search toolbars or any other service, see their privacy policy. The Google Toolbar will in fact send every URL you type in your browser back to Google for permanent storage and analysis (see second link).

Without getting into a debate about whether it's a necessary/justified evil or whatever, I felt it best to warn you (if you were not aware or had not been shown the scope of their policies) that if you use Google services of any kind you should consider them a very public space employing rather invasive logging methods- they will collect and use every bit of information about you they can possibly gather from your own input, browser settings, cookies, ISP, and software for (literally) whatever they fancy across their entire range of services.

Pass this on/delete/ignore/whatever as you wish. If you're already aware of these matters, then my apologies for repeating them. Permalink | Comments (0)