This is a change in policy for Google -- the top of the page shows the most=
recently edited date, which is yesterday.
However, the real value for Google isn't in "owning" your content. The valu=
e for them is in mining it, and then using that information to hone their b=
usiness selling ads and working with affiliate advertisers -- and their pri=
vacy policy expressly states that your data will be used in this way.
From Google's Privacy Policy, at http://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html
"Log information =E2=80=93 When you access Google services, our servers aut=
omatically record information that your browser sends whenever you visit a =
website. These server logs may include information such as your web request=
, Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser language, the date and t=
ime of your request and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your=
browser."
So, they can track a request for a specific web site to a specific user, an=
d can keep track of what an individual does over time.
"Affiliated Google Services on other sites =E2=80=93 We offer some of our s=
ervices on or through other web sites. Personal information that you provid=
e to those sites may be sent to Google in order to deliver the service. We =
process such information under this Privacy Policy. The affiliated sites th=
rough which our services are offered may have different privacy practices a=
nd we encourage you to read their privacy policies."
When using Google Apps, you might get sent to another site, and this site m=
ight have a different privacy policy, and this site might share a different=
set of your private information with us. You may or may not know when this=
is happening, but it's your responsibility to know when to check for the p=
rivacy policy of these sites.
Then, the policy goes on to list why Google is collecting this information:
"* Providing our services, including the display of customized content and =
advertising;
* Auditing, research and analysis in order to maintain, protect and improve=
our services; "
I've chosen a very small section of the privacy policy here, but the full p=
olicy goes into much more detail, including info about geographical data.=
=20
For a sense of what can be inferred from even very rough user data, take a =
look at the fallout that occurred when AOL released search data from it's u=
serbase -- http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/08/06/aol-proudly-releases-massiv=
e-amounts-of-user-search-data/ This search data is nowhere near as precise =
as what Google collects, but it still revealed an astonishing range of info=
rmation about its users.
So, when schools are using Google Apps, every member of that community is p=
articipating in unpaid marketing research. If you are buying Google Apps as=
part of a service, you are paying to participate in market research.=20
As a closing thought, I'd like to hear the conversation that ensued if a pe=
rson walked into the head of school's/principal's office and said the follo=
wing:
"I'd like to enroll all of our Middle School students in an unpaid marketin=
g research program. They'll never know it's going on, and every facet of th=
eir online collaboration will be tracked as part of the study. Oh, and it c=
omes with email."
Cheers,
Bill
--- On Thu, 3/12/09, Gregg Kaloust <gregg@kannoncom.com> wrote:
>=20
> I seem to have overstated this. My bad for going by
> "remembered"
> information rather than rechecking. The policy, which
> explictly states
> they do NOT own your content (so maybe it is a change) is
> here:
>=20
> http://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html
>=20
> Gregg Kaloust
>=20
=0A=0A=0A
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