[LINK] [PRIVACY] Google to track users across its sites, whether they like it or not

[Roger Clarke]

>Roger Clarke wrote:
>>  Are they really saying that they are reneging on previous 
>>undertakings in relation to their existing holdings of personal 
>>data?

At 9:41 +1100 27/1/12, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:
>No roger, I think they are saying they are going to rationalise their user
>databases across their acquisitions/services - youtube, maps, etc.
>
>Currently I use the same username/password to access a couple of Google
>Services. I don't/wouldn't login for search, but have observed others like
>this personalisation.  However, if I don't logout/close window/delete
>cookie, I notice, I remain logged in for search!
>
>Single signon, across systems, is a common goal of many organisations.

No Marganita.

My reading of this is that they are indeed reneging on their previous 
undertakings.

I'll post my analysis when it's sufficiently well-developed.

But the fact is that streams of data arising from any one service 
were (or at least were supposed to be) used only in relation to that 
service.

The new Terms says that they will use all data from all services in 
relation to all services.

And they strongly imply that the change is retrospective, and that 
all past data will be used for all services, not just the service 
from which it was sourced.

That is a renege on the original terms of service.

Agreed:  this applies only to user-accounts.

But that limitation is nominal only.

Tell me - how confident are you that your behaviour when not logged 
in isn't correlated with your user-account?

(Your behaviour is correlatable on the basis of at least 
cookie-contents, IP-address(es) and browser-signature).

[Just to clarify, I don't mean 'your' in any aggressive sense, and 
maybe I should use 'one's' instead.  I can't say 'our', because I 
don't use a Google user-account.  I did create one at one stage, but 
I don't use it, and I certainly won't be logging into it any more.]


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law               University of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University