Three-fourths of US adults are concerned about Google’s changes to its privacy policies that allow the company to follow activities of users as they move across the firm’s various services, a new IBOPE Zogby survey finds.
The IBOPE Zogby interactive poll conducted from January 27-30, 2012 also finds nearly two-thirds of adults say they are aware of the new Google policies (63%), with a total of 22% very aware and 41% somewhat aware. Those who use Google products often are most aware of the new policy (70%). The survey also finds 90% use Google products either often (71%) or sometimes (19%).
Google products include services such as Search, Gmail, Maps, Google+, documents, images and shopping. The new policy was announced on Jan. 24, and will take effect March 1.
In measuring concern about the policy, respondents were asked: Tech experts say the new Google privacy changes will help the company track user habits across its various offerings. For example, if someone is logged into a Google account and uses its search, maps and YouTube, all of that data can be combined by the company to provide advertising and search results closely related with past use history. Does this change concern you or not?
A total of 76% are either very (32%) or somewhat (44%) concerned, while 14% are somewhat unconcerned and 9% are not at all concerned. Less frequent users of Google products tend to be more concerned than those who use them regularly. Of those who rarely use Google products, 93% say they are concerned, compared to those who use them often (74% concerned).
IBOPE Zogby International conducted an online survey of 2,199 adults. The margin of error is +/- 2.2 percentage points. A sampling of IBOPE Zogby International’s online panel, which is representative of the adult population of the US, was invited to participate. Slight weights were added to region, party, age, race, religion, gender and education to more accurately reflect the population.
Source: IBOPE Zogby International
Is this Google’s Pro-sumer or Con-sumer marketing strategy? 🙂
I’m not worried because Eric promised to me that Google would “do no evil.”
Already moved away from Google search, I will avoid Google in as many places as I can. They have forever lost my trust and my respect.
Totally agree.
Same here. I held my nose and switched to Bing for searches.
Concur. I am no longer just automatically going to Google. I am intentionally using Yahoo and even (gag) Bing to send a message to Google that I am highly suspicious of their policies.
Ok, I use various stuff on my Macs to block google, the only thing of google I use is the search…
I can’t block their crap on my iOS devices, or I would.
So switch to bing?… Yahoo?.. Who else is there for actual searchs.
Neve liked yahoo, and bing… I just can’t bring myself to using a ms product on my apple stuff.
Granted I use siri most times, but I still do basic web searches. And that means google. Web searchs and YouTube I guess is all I use from google.
There are some good google alternatives that are not bing.
Try DuckDuckGo or Scroogle.
I’ve recently switched to Ixquick.com for search.
Scroogle is rather ugly, but it is Google search passed thru anonymizer and the ads are removed.
Why are companies like Facebook and Google still calling these things “privacy” policies?
For much of what I do with search, I’m usually better off going straight to Wikipedia. It’s cut way down on my Googling.
What they mean is:
3/4 of the 2/3 aware of the policy change are concerned, right? Not that more people are concerned than are aware of it, because you can’t be concerned about something you’re not aware of.
Just sayin’…
Was wondering about that … Who would fall into the “concerned yet unaware” category? A lot more paranoid people out there than I had imagined, I guess.
no. I think they mean even more people are concerned about google privacy issues than even know about the policy change. Which is hilarious.
I think the wording of the headline is great!
Do Evil.
I hope that Google swamps advertisers with my search stats and helps advertisers avoid wasting their money trying to sell me things I don’t want. I want very very well targeted ads so that I am not blasted with stupid screen protectors and idiotic keyboard iPad to laptop converters or weight loss secrets from a mom in my city.
Alternately, search in Google for “mesothelioma” and all the other topics you see personal injury lawyers advertising. Those lawyers pay big money to appear in Google Adsense. Click on the links and cost those scum lawyers some money. It makes Google rich, but Google is not nearly as scummy as ambulance chasing lawyers.
http://www.duckduckgo.com anyone? They compile anonymous search results from Google/Bing/Yahoo.
1 (haha)
Yes, try DuckDuckGo. Read more about alternatives here..
http://www.kimpl.com/568/alternative-search-engines-protect-privacy/
Make that PLUS one
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