Google Policy Primer

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Policy Primer for Google By Irene Pollak

Transcript of Google Policy Primer

Policy Primer for GoogleBy Irene Pollak

Each time you sign up for a social

media account or an email account

or use a search engine you are

asked to agree to their policies in

their Terms of Service.

Here is a brief outline of Google’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy in a 5 minute nutshell.

And how it impacts you.

Google’s Privacy Policy

When you sign up for a

Google account you

are automatically set

up with a Gmail

account and a Google

Plus (G+) profile.

Google states; “We

collect information to

provide better services

to all our users”

(Google web)

Data is collected from;

Gmail messages

G+ profile, photos and videos.

Browsing History

Map Searches

Docs

And other Google-hosted content.

(http://www.google.com/policies/priva

cy/example/collect-information.html)

https://accounts.google.com/SignUp

Privacy Key Terms

Here are some of the terms that Google

uses to name the different ways they

collect data from your online activity

through their search engine and

other services they provide.

Cookie

Cookie – a small file

containing a string of

characters sent from

your computer when

you visit a website.

What this does is store

your preferences and

other information.

For private browsing you can

clear your cookies or not

allow them.

But ‘do not tract’ isn’t

guaranteed to always work as

the value for marketing this

tracking offers does outweigh

companies ‘resolve’ to

enforce this.

http://www.privacyrights.org/fs

/fs18-cyb.htm

Types of cookies used by

Google.

Preferences; your language, location, how many

search results you wish to see per page.

http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/technologi

es/types/

More cookies used by Google.

Security; used to authenticate users. (no third party

can log into your account without you knowing.)

Have you noticed when you travel that you need to

answer security questions to prove that you are who

you say you are?

Processes; some websites do not work properly

unless you have cookies activated.

Even more cookies used by Google.

Advertising; to track ad effectiveness and to

allow Google to target market for their

advertisers.

Session State; this tracks your actions online;

which YouTube channels you follow, what

websites you like, what you buy online.

Most important cookies used by

Google.

Analytics; this assists app and website owners

to understand how ‘users’ use their site by

monitoring, numbers, time on site, which pages

they visited and which page they exited on.

Your online habits can be stored for up two years

within Google Analytics Cookies.

https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguide

s/collection/analyticsjs/cookie-usage

Internet Protocol or IP Address

IP address; each

computer, your

computer, has an IP

address. This is a

special sequence of

numbers that Google

uses to help identify

you, and track your

online habits.

Server LogsYour “web requests”

aka. search phrase.

Based on your online

activities, Google will

even customised your

search results, based

on all the information it

has collected on you

based on this data

collection.

Server logs track; server

request, IP address, browser

type (Google), language

(English), the date and time

of your request and one of

more cookies that may

uniquely identify your

browser.

http://www.google.com/policie

s/privacy/key-terms/#toc-

terms-ip

By collecting data on you.

The can target ads for the commerce side of their

services.

Here are their 3 primary targeting they use;

Contextual targeting; keyword analysis

Placement targeting; related to the content on a

page.

Interest-based targeting; this is affected by your

search history on Google as to whether you will see

these ads.

https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/9713?hl=

en

This is affected by what is known as the

Filter Bubble

‘In December 2009, Google began customizing its search results for each user’.

http://amzn.to/1xpHnEB

Eli Pariser: Beware of ‘Filter Bubbles’ Ted Talk.

In his talk he argues that “we get trapped in a ‘filter bubble’ and don’t get exposed to information that could challenge

and broaden our worldview.

http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles?language=en

This all happens by Google acting as an invisible algorithmic gatekeeper, this activity is not isolated to

Google; Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter…. all do this.

Personalised search results is based on our online habits and identity.

Scott is white American

Daniel is Middle Eastern American

Filte

ring L

aw

s v

ary

pe

r cou

ntry

.

On top of Googles’ filtering

Australia has filtering laws that are

affected by;

Commonwealth Communication

Act who alongside ACMA can

enforce takedowns of accounts,

websites and

content that break the criteria within

this Act. (Bambauer, 2008)

AC

MA

=A

ustra

lian C

om

munic

atio

n M

edia

Auth

rority

Australia has 2 types of filtering;

Index Based Filtering; based on a

Black list (bad sites already

identified)

White list (exclusively permitting

specific content)

Index-b

ased

Filte

ring

(ACMA, 2008, p.13)

Analy

sis

filterin

g

This was designed to capture what

index-based filtering does not.

Keywords

Image analysis

Link analysis

File type

(ACMA, 2008, p.14)

Analy

sis

Filte

ring

(ACMA, 2008, p.14)

“the technologies being used are extremely imprecise,

and often as a by-product block access to very large

amounts of legitimate material” (Brown, 2007. p.8)

Who owns the content?

When you share images,

videos, blog posts etc.

through Google services

your content belongs to

you. These are Intellectual

Property Rights.

BUT!!

When you upload your content, “you give Google… a

worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce,

modify, create derivative works” “you grant in this

license are for the limited purpose of operating,

promoting and improving our (Google’s) services” this

continues on even when you stop using Google’s

services.

For ever ever,

For ever, ever, ever!

http://www.google.com/policies/terms/

The devil is in the detail.

As laws or Google’s services change, they do

updates in the Terms of Service (TOS). It is up to

you the user, to check what these updates are. A

great way to do that is check the link below. It

gives you a comparison of what was and is now

in their TOS.

http://www.google.com/policies/terms/archive/

When you sign up with a Google account.

Your details are shared with their

affiliates.

Google’s affiliates; any other service that Google offers or business that they own.

This is growing my the year.

Google uses a reporting system for

copyright infringement.

Google does not mediate ‘rights ownership

disputes’.

But it does take down or remove content as the law requires, when it

receives a complete and valid takedown notice.

https://support.google.com/legal/answer/3463239?hl=en&ref_topic=4558877 http://bit.ly/1rCPSZo

Google works on

Self Regulatory

FrameworksWhen it comes to illegal activity online.

If you are seen to be violating copyright laws and Google receives a complaint it will act in accord the Australian code of

commercial conduct.

http://www.youronlinechoices.com.au/

If you violate any of Googles’ terms and policies or if you are being investigated for suspected misconduct Google will

“suspend or strop providing services”

http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/terms/

Google has an age

requirement

In Australia it is 13 as with most other countries, in

the Netherlands it is 16 or over.

https://support.google.com/plus/answer/1350409

To identify you, Google has

to know a bit about you.

Your phone number, email address, and credit card

details (Adsense)

http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/2step/

This allows you to have a two step identification process, via email confirmation and your mobile number as an

identifier that it is really YOU.

Device specific information.

Unique Device Identifiers

Each phone, tablet, laptop, PC all come

with a

Unique number that NEVER changes.

Editing your details in

Google.

You can choose what to disclose to Google.

What you can not choose, is the use of the data collected from your activity

on Google which adds value to their services.

Google shares ‘non personally identifiable information publicly

with our partners’

And identifiable information ONLY with your consent.

http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/#infochoices

References;

Ad Targeting; How Ads are Targeted to your Site. [web] Retrieved from; https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/9713?hl=en

Australian Media and Communications Authority (2008) Closed Environment Testing of ISP-Level Internet Content Filtering. Report to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. ACMA. retrieved from; http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/lib310554/isp-level_internet_content_filtering_trial-report.pdf

Bambauer, D. (2008). Filtering in Oz: Australia's Foray into Internet Censorship. Brooklyn Law School, Legal Studies Paper, No. 125.Retrived from: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1319466

Brown, I. (2007). Internet Filtering - Be Careful What You Ask for. In S. Kirca, & L. Hanson (Eds.), Freedom and Prejudice: Approaches to Media and Culture. Istanbul: BahcesehirUniversity Press.Available: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1026597

Google Privacy & Terms. Privacy Policy [web] retrieved from; http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/

Google Privacy & Terms. “Collect Information” [web]retrieved from;http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/example/collect-information.html

References continued.

Google Privacy & Terms. “Your Content in Our Services” [web]retrieved from; http://www.google.com/policies/terms/

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (2008). Privacy and the Internet: Travelling in Cyberspace Safely.Available: http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs18-cyb.htm

Slide 16 & 17: Personalised results. TED talk [screen shot] retrieved from; http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles?language=en

Slide 19; Index Filterering, ACMA [screen shot] retrieved from; http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/lib310554/isp-level_internet_content_filtering_trial-report.pdf

Slide 21; Analysis Filtering, ACMA [screen shot] retrieved from; http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/lib310554/isp-level_internet_content_filtering_trial-report.pdf

Slide 25; screen shot of personal Google Account, October 26th, 2014.

Slide 28; Image; I.Pollak personal photograph, July 31st, 2014.

Slide 30; Image; iPhone UDID, [iPhone] retrieved from; http://www.enflexion.com.au/images/Screen%20Shot%202011-10-12%20at%201.27.06%20PM.png