For the last week, Google users have seen a notice in the right corner of the website informing them that the search engine’s privacy policy will be changing at the beginning of March.
The new privacy policy comes weeks after Google riled some privacy activists with its launch of a personalized search feature. This announcement also earned the ire of some on the Internet – including Northwestern students and faculty – who consider it an intrusion into their personal lives.
Prof. Owen Youngman, who teaches a new Medill class called The Media World Through the Lens of Google, said in an interview with The Daily last week that Google can have a big impact on culture.
“Certainly we’re seeing some interesting changes in the results that come up,” he said. “Particularly if you’re logged into Google when you search.”
Youngman’s work with Google dates back to his time at The Chicago Tribune, he said, when he worked with Google to understand their perspective on news and met with Google’s CEO. He also said consumer reaction to changes can have an impact.
“It’s very easy for these sorts of products to be tweaked overnight if they’re delivering different results than people wanted,” Youngman said.
The new privacy policy aims to consolidate all information users share with Google when they create an account through Gmail, Google Plus or other services, according to the announcement on the Google homepage. But critics charge that the new policy will allow the search engine giant to share information that had previously been private.
Weinberg sophomore Benison Choi said he has seen the message about the changing privacy policy in the upper right corner of the Google homepage, but has not read the changes yet.
“I don’t care too much as long as Google’s working,” Choi said. “What does me reading the policy change? That’s kind of dumb of me to not read into it, but I think that’s what most people do.”
Choi also said he knows plenty of his personal information is available with a simple Google search already.
“There is a lot of information of me that I never knew would be out there,” he said. “That there’s more information out there now is a little alarming I’d say, so that’s my worry with this policy.”
Elise Chagas, a Weinberg sophomore, said she ignored the email Google sent to Gmail users about the changes, but once she read the policy she had some concerns.
“I think I’m not going to fully understand it until it happens,” said Chagas. “And then I’ll probably complain about it. If it does do something intrusive, we’re all screwed.”
Although Google said in its announcement the only way for users to opt out of the privacy policy is to deactivate their accounts, Chagas said that is unlikely.
“There’s no way I’m switching to another service,” she said. “I used to have a Comcast account and there’s no way I’m going back.”.
