Critics Strike At Google's New 'All-It-Can-Eat' Privacy Policy

Google's new, streamlined privacy policy, which went into effect on Monday, will effectively "diminish privacy protections for users of Google services," a coalition of advocates argues in a letter to CEO Eric Schmidt.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center and other critics assert in the letter, dated Friday, that Google's new policy is problematic because the company can now treat users' data "as part of an integrated platform." They argue that in the past, people could "selectively reveal information to Google for the use of a particular service, such as email, document management, or mapping." The new policy, they say, gives Google the right to transfer data from one service to another without seeking people's consent. The advocates are asking Schmidt to withdraw the new policy. Signatories include representatives from the American Library Association, Consumer Federation of America, Center for Digital Democracy and the World Privacy Forum. A Google spokesperson says the new document is meant to be "more transparent and understandable."