How does Google’s new privacy policy compare?

Some politicians, privacy advocates, and pundits have been stirred into a frenzy in the wake of Google’s newly announced overarching privacy policy. Critics have expressed everything from concern to outrage, suggesting Google will suddenly begin tracking users’ each and every move around the Internet and will use that precious data in frightening and unspeakable ways.

The fact of the matter is, Google doesn’t appear to be doing anything worse than what companies likeApple, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Facebook have doing for years. It’s just that Google has taken arguably unprecedented pains to alert the public of imminent changes to its privacy policies and has made the new policy approachable enough for the average person to read it. (Or skim it. Or skim what someone else wrote about it after skimming it.)

Google already knows about you In a nutshell, Google is effectively replacing the 60 or so separate privacy policies the company currently has for its wealth of services. The new policy (along with a blog post and video on the subject from Google) reiterates what you already should have realized: Google collects data about you as you are logged into your Google account and using a Google service (e.g. Search, YouTube, Gmail, Google+).

If you were unaware that Google or any other company was collecting data about you while you used one of their online services, you must be new to the Internet or (with all due respect) oblivious. Nothing’s changed here: Google has long collected your data as you’ve searched and Gmailed, and it has used that data for such things as targeted ads. The type of data the company is collecting is not changing.

What’s new is that the policy states clearly that the aforementioned data can be shared among the other Google services that you use while logged into your Google account. It’s similar to, say, how Facebook shares varying amounts of data about you among its services — as well as with the third-party apps on the site.

Google is spinning it as an opportunity for a more personalized, integrated Google experience. Per the company’s official blog, “We can provide reminders that you’re going to be late for a meeting based on your location, your calendar, and an understanding of what the traffic is like that day. Or ensure that our spelling suggestions, even for your friends’ names, are accurate because you’ve typed them before.”

Perhaps this could even lead to better integration of existing Google services with Google+ (something I’ve wanted to see for some time now).

Won’t someone think of the surprise parties? As I noted, critics are raising flags, including members of the U.S. Senate. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is fretting that Google’s policy “does not give consumers the ability to opt out of such new uses of their data.” He foresees potential abuses such as this: “Private email messages might contain any number of personal, embarrassing, or otherwise damaging information, and Google’s attempts to amplify and contextualize this information through targeted ads, Maps suggestions, or Calendar reminders could have negative consequences for users,” he wrote in his blog. “These harmful impacts could range from the inconvenient (spoiling a surprise party) to the truly harmful (popping up a calendar reminder about an evening job interview while you’re at work).”

I confess that I’m not on the Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law like Sen. Blumenthal and thus may not fully grasp why Google sharing data among services raises any more of a risk of telegraphing a job interview or a surprise party than, say, simply leaving your calendar (be it digital or paper) open in the wrong place and at the wrong time.

More curious, though, is the question of why Google is receiving this kind of scrutiny. Again, I propose it’s in part because the company has made an effort to alert users of the imminent changes — and also because Google, being Google, is an irresistible target for criticism. But take a couple of moments to peruse the privacy policies of other companies that have multiple online services, and you’ll see that Google isn’t doing anything new here and is actually just being more forthright and transparent than people are accustomed to.

In fact, Google is going so far as to alert (or remind) users that it’s possible to view every bit of data Google has collected about them via the Google Dashboard. There, you can manage the different Google services you’ve used. What other company provides that kind of easy access to the data it’s collected about you?

One other bit of criticism out there surrounding Google’s new privacy policy is that you can’t opt out of having certain data shared with certain services (though you can opt out of receiving targeted ads). That’s a pretty tall order, and really, if you’re that concerned about data intermingling, you can provide a minimal amount of personal data to your Google account (if you must have a Google account) and only log into services when necessary. For example, you can use Google Search or Maps or YouTube without logging in to your Google Account.

Google vs. Facebook So then, let’s compare Google’s new privacy policy with policies of other companies out there. Sound fascinating? I thought not.

I can cut to the chase, though, and say (again) that Google isn’t doing anything unique here, neither in terms of collecting data nor sharing it among its services. The take-away for those who are deeply concerned about Google’s new privacy is that you should reconsider not just using Google, but using various other sites and services until you’ve thoroughly reviewed their privacy policies. That’s not just social networking sites, either; consider financial institutions and shopping sites that you use.

If you do want specifics about how a select few other sites handle privacy, though, read on.

The most obvious company with which to compare Google would be Facebook — and delving into the complex depths of Facebook’s privacy policy is not for the faint of heart.

In a nutshell, Facebook collects all the data you feed it: Your name, your location, your occupation, your education, your age, your gender, your sexual preference, your interests, etc. It also tracks the info you might share in a status update, such as a Web address or a photo. It tracks who you are friends with and what comments you make on their walls.

Facebook collects info your friends share about you, such as when you are tagged in a picture or checked in at a location. It also gathers information about you from games, applications, and websites you use (so long as you grant permission), as well as data given from advertisers and third parties.

Facebook uses the data in a number of ways: To provide location features and services; to come up with friends to recommend; and to target ads at you. Facebook app developers can also access certain data about you and your friends if you permit them to do so when you first use an app. Facebook also shares data about you when you use your Facebook login to enter a third-party site.

Facebook does actually offer a fairly admirable array of tools for controlling which of your data can be shared, as well as for platform apps entirely. Facebook also has various interactive tools for previewing your profile, previewing your public search profile, setting permissions for apps, and even downloading a single file that contains all the information Facebook has collected about you.

Google vs. Microsoft Moving on, there’s Microsoft (which last updated its privacy in August of last year — I must have missed the news coverage). The company actually has a general privacy policy, along with supplemental privacy information for sixteen different services, including Bing, CRM Online, Office.com, Messenger, Windows Live, and Zune.

The general policy says Microsoft collects all sorts of information about users, including name, address, phone numbers, gender, preferences, and favorites, and then shares that data among other services you use for such purposes as personalizing your experience. “Microsoft uses your personal information for … making the sites or services easier to use by eliminating the need for you to repeatedly enter the same information; performing research and analysis aimed at improving our products, services, and technologies; and displaying content and advertising that are customized to your interests and preferences,” according to the policy.

The only opt-out options listed in the policy are to put the kibosh on receiving targeted ads.

Google vs. Apple Apple, meanwhile, has a single privacy policy document (last updated on Oct. 21). It appears to apply to any and all Apple services, including iTunes, iCloud, MobileMe, iPhone, Mac, and the Apple Retail stores. Apple’s policy says, vaguely, that it may collect “a variety of information,” including name, address, phone number, email address, contact preferences, and credit card information. The info is collected as users create an Apple ID, register products, apply for credit, purchase a product, download software updates, register for classes at an Apple Retail Store, or participate in an online survey.

Apple also may collect info about your friends and family when you share content with them using an Apple product, send a gift certificate or product, or ask them to join you on Apple forums. The info includes the contact’s name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.

Apple says that it may combine personal info with non-personal info it collects (such as occupation, language, zip code, area code, unique device identifier, location, and the time zone where an Apple product is used) with personal information. “The combined information will be treated as personal information for as long as it remains combined,” per the policy.

Apple uses all the info it gathers from users for such purposes as targeting users with product announcements, software updates, and event information; “to develop, deliver, and improve products, services, content, and advertising;” and “for internal purposes, such as auditing, data analysis, and research to improve Apple’s products, services, and customer communications.”

As with Microsoft’s policy, Apple only provides a way to opt out of receiving targeted ads.

Google vs. Yahoo Yahoo has long followed a single sign-on to access a wide range of services, from email to travel to games to finance to personals. Per its privacy policy, it collects all sorts of information about you, as well as about your transactions with Yahoo and its partners. It’s not entirely clear how much data is passed among services: “Yahoo uses information for the following general purposes: To customize the advertising and content you see, fulfill your requests for products and services, improve our services, contact you, conduct research, and provide anonymous reporting for internal and external clients.”

Yahoo does surrender your information to partners, however: “We provide the information to trusted partners who work on behalf of or with Yahoo under confidentiality agreements. These companies may use your personal information to help Yahoo communicate with you about offers from Yahoo and our marketing partners.”

Yahoo lets you set your Yahoo Account Information, including your marketing preferences, to opt out of targeted ads. The level of data Yahoo offers isn’t quite as comprehensive as what you’d find on Google’s Dashboard, though.

This story, “How does Google’s new privacy policy compare?,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.