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TOMORROW GOOGLE WILL introduce a new privacy policy which allows it to gather, store and use your personal information – meaning services like YouTube could be able to access your browsing history.
When the new policy comes into effect, all data collected on users until that date (1 March) will be assigned to their online identity represented by the Gmail and YouTube accounts, TechNewsDaily reports. Users will not be able to opt out of the privacy policy once it takes effect, without abandoning Google services.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit organisation based in San Francisco, has advised all users to delete their browsing history, Digital Journal reports.
The following simple steps will limit Google’s ability to track your movements online and send you customised search results:
1. Sign into your account
2. Click the dropdown menu in the upper-right hand corner of your screen (by your username)
3. Click accounts settings
4. Find the “Services” section
5. Beside “Services” there is a sub-section that reads “Go to Web History”
6. Click “Remove all Web History”
From here, you can remove all of your previous history or selected items and stop your Web History from being recorded in the future. Once you disable your Web History it will remain turned off until you turn it on again.
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Are the legally allowed to collect information on users? Surely it goes against the freedom on the internet?
Pretty sure they’re legally allowed to do what they want after you’ve agreed to their Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you don’t want them collecting your info, probably better to use another search engine. I know that’s easier said then done when Google is by far the most popular of them all…
This is what Sean Sherlock should have been addressing.
Data protection should be enforced and it a company wants to use store or disclose your information it should only be with your conceit and you opted in for this…. Publishing our terms have changed and your auto agreeing is wrong…. BIG business shouldn’t make the rules up as they go along.
Done. Thanks for that.
Probably some catch in the ‘terms and conditions’ that most of us ignore when we sign up.
Hey John, tried it but my options were to “turn web history on” and “no thanks”. I clicked “no thanks”, is that what you got? Cheers
Paul I’m a Luddite. But here goes:
My browser page did not have my username/e-mail address in the top right hand corner like Jennifer suggested so I had to got through the ‘select password and username’ (sign in) routine before I could get to the steps that she had listed. Then it was exactly as she had set out. Hope that helps!
Paul click on the ‘Turn web history on’ It will ask for your password and account and then bring you to the page were you can clear your history.
Sign into what account Jennifer? gmail? YouTube?
If so, how does this work for people who dont have gmail account?
Regards.
Hey Boy Russell – the new policy will affect users who have an account with YouTube, Gmail or any other Google service. If you don’t have any type of Google account then you won’t be affected. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the feedback Jennifer.
I have both gmail & YouTube accounts.
I was just checking so to pass on to left, right & centre.
Thanks again.
No problem :)
i don’t get it.. Google are YouTube, so they already know your browsing details. To me all i see is they will now just do better ads for someone surfing YouTube and also stuff like better recommended videos to watch.. No/yeah?
That thought crossed my mind too SC. YouTube throws up suggestions for similar clips to the one you’ve searched for anyway. Who cares about the ads? Well I don’t.
fair enough john. The new way suits me anyway.
Would like to see what googles response is to this…
Done . Thanks
Use a different browser?
YouTube is’t a browser.
5 years and 16000 google searches later they must have had a fairly spot on profile of me. Crazy stuff. Thanks for the heads up.
john i can tell you what you look like, where you went to college, your wifes name and a few more details by clicking your profile link. im not trying to be smart or scare you, but what have you stopped Google looking at that some physco cant? this is the same for everyone.
Cheers for that soccer gossip , i didn’t know that either. An excellent day all round for my online privacy . Information is power and all that.
How about iPhones/androids, etc?
That’s the catch isn’t it. Most smart phones or tablets it run Google’s Android OS. It’s very difficult to stop these company looking over your shoulder. I believe Apple isn’t much better and Windows Mobile OS will use similar spying tactics.
“translation” of the new policy here – scary stuff:
http://www.nymbus.org/blog/2012/02/19/google/
I have done this wity my own gmail. Does that count for my YouTube also??
If not, how does a man complete it with a YouTube account??
Thank you.
If you want privacy download a tor browser, and use duckduckgo.com to surf. Simples
torproject.org
Sadly a lot of sites are blocking tor nodes.
Sadly true Patrick.
Folks if you are worried about browsing history use an incognito window in chrome or private browsing in safari, it remembers nothing.
Good stuff. Just did the deed now. I feel cleansed. :)
Google are becoming more and more sneaksy with their practices. DuckDuckGo is a pretty decent search engine.
http://magslife.com/2012/02/29/its-oh-so-quiet-shssssh-shssssh/
1/3/12 #OpNoGoogle everyone boycott the use of google for one day whether it be their search engine email or YouTube. This is a protest.
I actually like how much they ask for. Think about it the more they know about me the easier it is for them to spot an intruder on my account. While they’ll use it for targeted marketing it also has it’s benefits. Most people against are just scare mongering.
And actually I like its targeted marketing. I’d rather see an ad for some event rather than say some ad for a movie I don’t care about.
Karl – they’re coming to take you away ha! ha! You shouldn’t be so naive. It’s what the poor Jewish unfortunates told themselves repeatedly all the time they were being queued up for the gas showers.
Oh Please Ardo it’s not being naive and don’t relate this to the tragic events of WW2. On topic, it’s not naive to choose to opt-in to a privacy policy I support. You can’t dictate to me and you probably believe other absurd conspiracies too. I gave reasons why I support it and I didn’t say you have to support it. My personal decisions are completely up to me and no one is going to do anything that I don’t give them permission too. You probably believe a lot of crap judging by what you’ve said.
Karl i’m 100% with you. The majority of people just don’t understand that this has been part of us since Google started. in fact i don’t get this whole article. no offence to the author but an article on your own commenters privacy would be more apt. You have people using their own details stating their views. To me i think this is dangerous and a lot more worring that Google collecting ur already known surfing habbits
@ Soccers Gossip Yes a lot of people are being really misinformed about this policy, as some voices of reason have pointed out this is actually something Google is behind the curve(happens to everyone) on, they’re playing catch up here. The comment policy here doesn’t require people to give anything other than a name or alias(which will link to profile it was posted from, I think perhaps this should be better explained), the rest is optional but if people are out giving emails or addresses then of course The Journal should intervene for the obvious safety reasons but I’ve yet to see someone as so absurd on here to be fair so I reckon a) its very isolated or b) the moderates here are speedy quick(which to be honest they are, I’ve had accidental comments deleted in less than 10 minutes). I agree with you everyone should post their own policies before commenting on others.
Oh and on privacy policy here, its very similar to the new one presented by Google, awkward.
I don’t agree with companies tracking all of our data but at the end of the day they offer us excellent quality products for FREE. The data stays at google and they use it mainly to give us adverts that we actually want to see. The new privacy terms don’t really change much only the fact all your data will be in one place instead of the multiple locations it already is now. If they start charging a subscription they could probably stop tracking your data. But would you like to have to pay for services like Gmail.
Hmmm another mail i sent to the journal and no mention,thats journalism.
Somebody has to nick it from somewhere..
Jumbo, do you mean this story should be attributed to you?
I get this message when I go to web history I get this message
“Web History makes search better
Your Web History includes searches you’ve done on Google and pages you’ve clicked in search results. Web History allows you to:
See personalized search predictions as you type.
Get results and recommendations that are tailored to your preferences.
Search the full content of pages you’ve already seen.
You can view and edit your Web History from any computer by signing in to your Google Account. Learn more.”
Does this mean it’s off for me and I don’t have to do anything?
If you’re not signed in or don’t have an account, then follow the direction I gave above to avoid your history being recorded/tracked via cookies.
I’m signed in though?
You post quotes google as asking you to sign in.
When you do, the directions in the man story is the way to go
But I actually am signed in, my google plus picture’s in the corner and everything and it wasn’t asking me to sign in it just says i can view my web history anywhere when I’m signed in
I also went through my account settings to get to that step while signed in
I did the exact same as Abi, i was also signed into Google and my options were “No thanks” and “Turn web history on”. so i opted for No Thanks. I had no Delete option there. Does that mean they have not saved my web history?
I logged into my Google account yesterday and took a glance at “Latitude”. It had a record of everywhere I had been since I bought my Android phone. I was being tracked by GPS and wireless network activity.
Karl – your right to like it is not in question. Indeed, if Google was just a search engine I wouldn’t be bothered. But they are a Behemoth with too many inter-related interests in what people are doing that spells potential danger now but more especially in the future. They have even been warned by CNIL in France about its illegality. Info gathering for the use of targeted marketing is only for the financial benefit of Google not you or me. Eventually, governments will act to control and use it against you and me. And so, frankly, I say again you are naive. We have truly started on the road to totalitarianism. Google is the father of Big Brother.
No it’s not Ardo, other sites have being doing this already. Check this websites policies, check Yahoo!’s policies, check Bings policies, check Apple’s policies, you’ll find Google are behind the curve.
I’m not naive for liking something and as I said you’ve already gave all this info to other companies and your conspiracy theories are the real thing that is naive lad.
DATA PROTECTION ACT GOOGLE have you read it, I don’t think so and youtube is owned by Google.
Maybe advise google users who don’t have an account to update their settings as well;
Go to http://www.google.com/history/optout and disable that browsing history as well. (give it a second to refresh)
Don’t forget to do so on your smart phone too.
have your say