Google collects extensive data on users' online activities through services like Gmail, Google Search, YouTube, and more. This data includes email content, search histories, videos watched, and other online behaviors. Google uses this data to personalize services for users and enable targeted advertising. While users retain ownership of their content, by agreeing to Google's terms of service users give Google broad rights to use their data. Google collects data through technologies like cookies, IP addresses, and server logs that allow tracking of users' activities and interests over time.

1. Policy Primer for Google
By Irene Pollak

2. 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.

3. 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)

4. https://accounts.google.com/SignUp

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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/

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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

11. 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.

12. Server Logs
Your “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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. Personalised search results is based on our online habits and identity.
Scott is white American

17. Daniel is Middle Eastern American

18. Filtering Laws vary per country.
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)

19. ACMA =Australian Communication Media
Authrority
Australia has 2 types of filtering;
Index Based Filtering; based on a
Black list (bad sites already
identified)
White list (exclusively permitting
specific content)

20. Index-based
Filtering
(ACMA, 2008, p.13)

21. Analysis filtering
This was designed to capture what
index-based filtering does not.
Keywords
Image analysis
Link analysis
File type
(ACMA, 2008, p.14)

22. Analysis Filtering
(ACMA, 2008, p.14)

23. “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)

24. 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.

25. 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/

26. 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/

27. 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.

28. 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.co
m/legal/answer/3463239?
hl=en&ref_topic=4558877 http://bit.ly/1rCPSZo

29. Google works on
Self Regulatory
Frameworks
When 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/

30. 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

31. 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.

32. Device specific information.
Unique Device Identifiers
Each phone, tablet, laptop, PC all come
with a
Unique number that NEVER changes.

33. 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

34. 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: Bahcesehir
University 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

35. 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