Google announces privacy changes across products; users can’t opt out

January 26, 2012 | Source: Washington Post with Bloomberg

Google will soon know far more about who you are and what you do on the Web: it plans to follow the activities of users across nearly all of its ubiquitous sites, including YouTube, Gmail and its search engine.

Consumers who are logged into Google services won’t be able to opt out of the changes, which take effect March 1. And experts say the policy shift will invite greater scrutiny from federal regulators of the company’s privacy and competitive practices.

A user signing up for Gmail, for instance, might never have imagined that the content of his or her messages could affect the experience on seemingly unrelated Web sites such as YouTube.

Consumers could also benefit, the company said. When someone is searching for the word “jaguar,” Google would have a better idea of whether the person was interested in the animal or the car. Or the firm might suggest e-mailing contacts in New York when it learns you are planning a trip there.