Google’s new privacy policy: Should you be concerned?

[Commentary] Google seems determined to push the boundaries of what people expect from the company, for better or worse — just days after launching a new personalized search that has drawn criticism from both competitors and users, the company’s announcement that it is revising its privacy policies has touched off another wave of discontent about the implications for users. So is Google’s new omnibus policy another sign that it has broken its promise and is becoming more evil by the day? Or is the fuss over the new version, which will allow the search giant to share data among its various services, just a tempest in a privacy teapot?

The policy issue seems to have highlighted for many a crucial question: Is Google having all of that info about you — including web searches, Google Analytics data from your website, even location information — a good thing? Mat Honan at Gizmodo says that Google is clearly straying over the line towards being evil, and others argue that the changes mean the company is turning its back on privacy for its own selfish interests. Some privacy advocates say the new policy is “frustrating and a little frightening.” The bottom line is that whether you see Google’s new privacy policy as evil or not depends on what you think the company’s purpose is: Is it to help users find information that is relevant to them? If so, then pooling information is probably good. But if Google’s potential distortion of that purpose with its personalized search and favoritism towards Google+ results has you suspicious about its motives, then it might look a little evil. In the end, you have to answer the question: “Does Google have my best interests at heart?”