Google’s February 16 Privacy Policy Updates Threaten Users’ Privacy

Google’s usage policy update, at this time, is worrying because it gives more access to data than before.

In the latest updates Google Terms of Use Google is set to give advertisers more freedom and less stringent rules on ad personalization and user targeting starting February 16, according to its website.

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And the update came Google Terms of Use, under the pretext of promoting innovations that are supposed to make targeted advertising safer for individual users.

Why is Google’s privacy policy updated?

Google considers its decision a step forward for both advertisers and users, as the Google Privacy Policy update includes advanced privacy-enhancing technologies such as on-device processing, trusted execution environments, and secure multi-party computing.

Google says these technologies provide greater protection for users, while at the same time expanding the scope of data available to advertisers across a wider range of devices, including smart TVs and gaming consoles.

Criticism of Google’s new usage policy

Google’s new, more lenient privacy policy is raising concerns because it grants more access to data than before, according to some critics.

The digital fingerprint, which Google will use to track user data across different devices, forms a record containing all of the user’s movements, making it easy to identify him or his devices permanently, even if the browsing history and location data are erased.

Moreover, the digital footprint is harder to detect than other data collection methods such as third-party cookies in Chrome, which Google had considered eliminating in 2023 before backtracking in July, making it even harder for users to accept.

Digital fingerprints may affect user privacy

Lawmakers warn that the shift led by Google could lead to a radical change in the prevailing trend from relying on cookies to using digital fingerprints, which could negatively affect the user experience and privacy.

Some entities, such as: UK Data and Privacy Regulatory Authority The Information Commissioner’s Office said Google’s move was “irresponsible”, as digital fingerprinting was an unfair way to track users online, reducing individuals’ ability to control how their personal information is collected.

The timing of the decision seems unlikely.

The Financial Times points out that the timing of the decision, which coincides with Google’s judicial conviction on charges of monopoly, seems not coincidental.

The American newspaper added that Google’s announcement of its intention to collect user data from a larger group of devices may contribute to diverting attention away from…Chrome browser, which has a poor reputation for privacy, as calls grow to separate Chrome from parent company Alphabet.

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