6 things you need to know about Google's new privacy policy

When you need to look something up, do you Google it? Do you enjoy watching cat videos on YouTube? Do you hang out with friends on Google+? Have a Gmail account? If so, you need to understand that beginning March 1 all of the information that Google collects about you on each of those sites will be combined into one uber-database. Google says this change to its private policy is designed to give you a better user experience. Critics say it's just a way for Google to learn more about you, so it can bombard you with targeted ads.

Here's what you need to know about Google's privacy policies:

1. When you apply for a Google account, Google requests your name, email address, phone number and, possibly, credit card information for your Google Profile. You can avoid exposing your publicly visible profile by omitting or fabricating this information.
2. If you have created multiple identities to remain anonymous (for whatever reasons), Google can attach your single profile to all of its services replacing all your pseudonyms with one profile account. If you prefer to remain anonymous, either don't supply any profile information (especially a photo) or provide different, unique information for each pseudonym.
3. Google's databases are collecting information from your searches when using this search engine and/or YouTube, plus keywords in your Gmails. And even though Google claims that this information is not person specific, per se; that is, your name is not attached to the database, which says you visited 50 websites last week that sell T-shirts or 26 YouTube sites with Valentine videos, it is compiling a "user preference" profile about you. That profile determines what advertisements Google sends to your screen while surfing the Internet, browsing YouTube, or checking your messages in Gmail.
4. Google also identifies and collects your device data such as hardware, software, operating system, version numbers, IP address, and cell phone network information, including your phone number. This data can help pinpoint your location, which helps advertisers target specific markets. The bad news is that a determined stalker, identity thief, or cyber criminal can get at this personal information.
5. Google Logs contain unique application numbers, cookies, history, browser types and versions, and device events such as system crashes, activity, and hardware settings. It's likely that all search engines, in addition to several other software and hardware manufacturers, collect this information. Most people don't know this and probably wouldn't care unless, someday, it appears as public information on the Internet.
6. Everyone should check the Google Dashboard to see how and what Google is exposing online about you.