Attorneys General Challenge Google's New Privacy Policy

The attorneys general of 36 states are challenging Google's new privacy policy, warning that it exposes users to identity theft and fraud.

 

The policy goes into effect on March 1 and allows Google to store richer personal information profiles and no longer allows consumers to keep various parts of their online experience separate.

 

“This is a major change and Google should give consumers the ability to opt out of a policy that could jeopardize their privacy,” Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said. “We believe consumers deserve a full accounting of how this new privacy policy may impact them and be given a meaningful opportunity to avoid it.”

 

Others expressing concerns about the new privacy policy include:

Google has also been taking heat after a Wall Street Journal story revealed that it used "tricks"to get around privacy controls in Apple's Safari browser, widely used on iPhones and Apple computers. Google's new "personalized search" has also raised privacy advocates' hackles.

 

The 36 attorneys general sent a letter to Google that oulines their concerns about the privacy policy. Under the new policy, Google gives itself the freedom to combine users’ personal information from services like Web History and YouTube with all other Google products.

The ramifications of the new privacy policy will be virtually impossible to avoid for millions of consumers who already use Android-powered smartphones, currently estimated to be 50 percent of the national smartphone market. 

 

Android users will have to log in to Google to activate most of the functions on their devices.  They will also have to choose between either frequently logging in and out to avoid Google’s consolidation of their data or replacing their smartphones at great personal expense.

 

The attorneys general fear the consolidated personal data profiles will be a tantalizing target for hackers and privacy thieves.

 

“Those consumers who remain in the Google ecosystem may be making more of their personal information vulnerable to attack from hackers and identity thieves," the AGs said in their letter to Google. "Our offices litigate cases of identity fraud with regularity and it seems plain to us that Google’s privacy policy changes, which suggest your company’s intent to create richer personal data profiles, pose the risk of much more damaging cases of identity theft and fraud when that data is compromised, a risk that will grow as instances of computer hacking grow."

 

The AGs say they recognize many consumers will welcome the consolidation and sharing their personal information and data across multiple platforms.  Unfortunately, many more consumers will either dislike the consolidation or not realize the potential harm that comes from it.

 

Given the serious concerns expressed on behalf of those consumers, the AGs have requested a meeting with Google Inc. CEO Larry Page as soon as possible.

 

The states and territories signing on to the letter are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, and Washington.