Washington's Rob McKenna and 35 other state attorneys general sent a letter Wednesday to Google CEO Larry Page seeking a meeting with company officials to discuss the "troubling" privacy policy changes before they are scheduled to take effect March 1.
Google, which announced the privacy changes in January, said the goal is to remove some of the legal hurdles it faces in trying to link information across services from Gmail to YouTube to the Google Plus social network that replaced Buzz. The company said the new system will give users more relevant search results and information, while helping advertisers find customers -- especially on mobile devices.
But McKenna and other attorneys general believe the change could make consumers more vulnerable to online fraud.
“Consumers should have the choice of opting in, rather than being forced to opt out, before they give out so much personal information,” McKenna said. “Next month, those using Google’s search engine, Google Maps, YouTube and about half of all smartphones will be among those most affected. Their whereabouts, calling, buying and Web browsing habits will be tracked for commercial uses—and there’s no easy way to say no, other than ditching your phone and most of Google’s other products.”
The AGs' letter to Page can be read below:
Letter from 35 state Attorneys General re: Google Privacy Policy 022212
To add a comment, please register or login.