[LINK] Pew: 2/3rds of User Oppose Google's Terms

Roger Clarke Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
Tue Mar 13 10:49:07 AEDT 2012


[Picked up from ACCAN News]

Users wary of Google's privacy policy changes: survey
Published 7:02 AM, 12 Mar 2012 [Probably US, so UT-5-8]
http://technologyspectator.com.au/industry/internet/users-wary-google-s-privacy-policy-changes-survey

Reuters

Search engines users disapprove of personal data being collected for 
search results or for targeted advertising, according to a Pew survey 
released last week that underscores the public's growing concern with 
web privacy.

The survey results come after Google said in January it was 
simplifying its privacy policy and would pool data on users across 
its services, including YouTube and Gmail.

Users cannot opt out of the new policy. It has generated scrutiny 
from European and Brazilian regulators.

[They've missed a few, but I haven't seen Brazil mentioned before.]

The Pew Internet & American Life survey showed that 65 per cent of 
users said it was a bad thing if a search engine collected 
information about searches and then used it to rank future search 
results. They worried it could limit information users get online and 
what search results they saw.

An even larger 73 per cent said they would not be OK with a search 
engine keeping track of searches and personalising future search 
results because it would be an invasion of privacy.

Just 38 per cent of internet users said they were aware of how they 
could limit information about them that is collected by a website.

Google Inc. is by far the most popular search engine, with 83 per 
cent of search users saying they used it most often. Yahoo Inc. 
trailed at six per cent, the survey found.

The survey was conducted from January 20 to February 19 among 2,253 
adults age 18 and over, including 901 cell phone interviews. The 
margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2 percentage 
points.


-- 
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



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