How Not To Get Fully Screwed Over By Google’s New Privacy Policy

Google this week launched it’s new privacy policy and as expected internet activists are not happy with the company’s changes, steps that came about even as the European Union warned the search giant that its new policy could violate European law.

While users can’t fully stop Google from collecting their data without refusing to use the search engine there are a few steps that can be taken to help lessen Google’s data collecting methods.

If you don’t want to be treated as “a single user across all products” give these types from the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press:

Don’t log in to Google: This will be particularly hard for those who are used to constantly having their Gmail or Google+ accounts open. But if you’re just a casual YouTube or Picasa viewer, or you like to use Google’s search engine or maps program, you can do all that without logging in—which means that whatever you search for or watch won’t be linked to you for all time. Gmail or Google+ junkies should make sure to log out before doing anything else on Google.
Don’t use Google: There are many, many other search engines. The best plan of all may be to use a variety, so that no one company knows everything you’re searching for.
Go ahead and keep using Chrome: Google’s Web browser, as well as its mobile payment processor Wallet, are still using their own separate privacy policies.
Use these tools: Click here to delete your search history or turn off the setting that lets Google record it in the first place. Click here to access your YouTube history. Click here to leave Google and take your documents and emails along with you. Click here to get an overview of what Google knows about you. Click herefor more of Google’s privacy tools. Last but not least,click here to take a look at the policy itself.

Are you continuing to use Google? At this point I’m spending more time protecting my online anonymity from Google then the time I spend actually performing searches on its platform.

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Tags: Google, Google Privacy Policy

About the Author

James Johnson James is a new media professional with more than half a decade worth of experience in the online writing space. He currently serves as the Associate Editor of Inquisitr.com and the Editor-in-Chief of SocialNewsDaily.com. He also serves as a resident writer for Splash Press Media. In his spare time James consults businesses regarding SEO and Content Development.