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Tag: google profile

  • Google Apps Admins Can Set Default State For Google+ Profile Discoverability

    Google announced that Google Apps admins can now set the default state for profile discoverability in their domain through a control in the admin console if they have enabled Premium Features. It is checked by default, making profiles discoverable in public web searches.

    At launch, all users with discoverability on will get the admin default, and those with it off will be unaffected by the default, since it had already been set as such.

    In the future, changing the admin default will change the user’s setting if the user hasn’t set discoverability. Once they manually set their profile discoverability setting off or on, that setting will continue regardless of whether the admin default is changed.

    “In domains where an admin sets profile discoverability to be off by default (i.e., unchecks the setting), users may still want to be able to discover their co-workers in the same domain,” Google explains in a blog post. “To enable this functionality, we extended Google+ to leverage contact sharing. If the admin has enabled contact sharing for services such as Gmail then co-workers will be suggested in autocomplete results irrespective of their discoverability setting.”

    The changes affect Google Apps for Business, Education and Government.

    Image via Google

  • Google Can Now Use Your Name And Face Wherever It Wants

    Remember last month when Google updated its terms of service so that it can use users’ profile names and photos across Google products as it sees fit (like in ads)? Well, that is now in effect.

    Are you okay with Google using your name and face across its various products as it sees fit? Will you allow them to include your likeness in their ads? Let us know in the comments.

    Google said at the time that the change would go into effect on November 11th, so consider your profile fair game for Google to plaster it wherever it wants to now. You can opt out of having yourself appear in ads, but Google can still use your profile anywhere else in Google products.

    “We want to give you – and your friends and connections – the most useful information,” Google said of the changes. “Recommendations from people you know can really help. So your friends, family and others may see your Profile name and photo, and content like the reviews you share or the ads you +1’d. This only happens when you take an action (things like +1’ing, commenting or following) – and the only people who see it are the people you’ve chosen to share that content with. On Google, you’re in control of what you share. This update to our Terms of Service doesn’t change in any way who you’ve shared things with in the past or your ability to control who you want to share things with in the future.”

    “Feedback from people you know can save you time and improve results for you and your friends across all Google services, including Search, Maps, Play and in advertising,” the company said. “For example, your friends might see that you rated an album 4 stars on the band’s Google Play page. And the +1 you gave your favorite local bakery could be included in an ad that the bakery runs through Google.”

    Google calls the recommendations “shared endorsements”. You can adjust your settings here.

    “If you have a Google Account, we may display your Profile name, Profile photo, and actions you take on Google or on third-party applications connected to your Google Account (such as +1’s, reviews you write and comments you post) in our Services, including displaying in ads and other commercial contexts,” Google says in its terms. “We will respect the choices you make to limit sharing or visibility settings in your Google Account. For example, you can choose your settings so your name and photo do not appear in an ad.”

    You can read the full ToS here.

    While I’ve not personally seen it yet, the Wall Street Journal reports that some people are seeing a “thin blue strip” across the top of Google products notifying them of the changes. Google did make the changes known to users via Google+ notifications after they were first announced.

    The changes prompted U.S. Senator Ed Markey to write to the FTC last month, asking for chairwoman Edith Ramirez to take a look at the terms and make sure they don’t violate Google’s previous agreement related to Google Buzz privacy violations.

    A lot of users have expressed concern as well. We got quite a few worried and/or angry comments when we first covered the story. Here are a few examples:

    “Like I needed another reason not to use Google+.”

    “Once a company removes your choices for opt out them they dont care anymore. Maybe I should change my DOB.”

    “I think this is pure invasion of privacy…”

    “…please stop turning all the internet into facebook, please…”

    “No thanks. I don’t want my personal likes/dislikes etc available to people in my business life. And if one of my friends or family want my opinion on something, they can just ask…”

    Do you think Google is overstepping its boundaries with its new terms of service, or are you okay with them? Share your thoughts.

    Images: Google

  • Do You Want Google Using Your Name And Face In Ads?

    Google announced a new update to its terms of service the other day that is unsurprisingly ruffling some feathers. The change enables Google to use users’ profile names and photos across Google products as it sees fit. You know, like in ads. Other changes include a reminder about mobile device safety and details on password confidentiality.

    Do you mind if Google uses your name and profile picture in ads across its products? Let us know in the comments.

    “We want to give you – and your friends and connections – the most useful information,” Google says of the changes. “Recommendations from people you know can really help. So your friends, family and others may see your Profile name and photo, and content like the reviews you share or the ads you +1’d. This only happens when you take an action (things like +1’ing, commenting or following) – and the only people who see it are the people you’ve chosen to share that content with. On Google, you’re in control of what you share. This update to our Terms of Service doesn’t change in any way who you’ve shared things with in the past or your ability to control who you want to share things with in the future.”

    Yeah, but when has that ever stopped people from freaking out? Google is still trying to convince some countries that its big privacy policy consolidation from last year is all fine and good.

    “Feedback from people you know can save you time and improve results for you and your friends across all Google services, including Search, Maps, Play and in advertising,” Google says. “For example, your friends might see that you rated an album 4 stars on the band’s Google Play page. And the +1 you gave your favorite local bakery could be included in an ad that the bakery runs through Google.”

    Google shared endorsements

    Google calls the recommendations “shared endorsements,” and has a place where you can go to adjust your settings, and control whether or not your image and name appear in ads. It does appear to be enabled by default, so you may want to check that out. Google does say that if you have told Google in the past that you don’t want your +1s to appear in ads, then they’ll continue to respect that.

    Note, however, that the setting only applies to use in ads. It has no effect on where your name and image might appear on other Google products. Keep last year’s changes in mind. Google can use data about you from one of its products to the next. If you’re a YouTube user, you’re a Google user. If you’re a Google search user, you’re also a YouTube user (because that’s part of Google). If you’re a Gmail user, you’re a Google user. You get the idea.

    Google also says that for user under 18, they won’t appear in shared endorsements in ads and “certain other contexts.”

    Google+ still doesn’t have ads on it the way Facebook does, but this highlights how Google is able to use the profile, which is the backbone of Google+ as a way to improve its ads elsewhere.

    The new terms will go into effect on November 11th. You can read the actual ToS here.

    Google has notified users of the changes via a Google+ notification:

    New Terms

    The changes have already drawn suspicion from at least one senator, who has called upon the FTC to look into Google’s practices.

    Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) wrote to FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, asking her to look into whether or not Google’s new terms violate its previous agreement related to its settlement over the Google Buzz debacle. Here’s the letter:

    Dear Chairwoman Ramirez:
    Yesterday, Google proposed changes to its Terms of Service. The company’s proposed new policy will soon make it possible to display users’ names, photos, and endorsements of marketers’ products across the Web. This shift in Google’s policy raises a number of important questions about whether Google is altering its privacy policy in a manner inconsistent with its consent agreement with the Commission and, if the changes go into effect, the degree to which users’ identities, words, and opinions could be shared across the Web.

    Under the new advertisement policy, called “shared endorsements”, users’ names and pictures, along with their ratings or comments, could appear in advertisements on any of the millions of Web sites that comprise Google’s display advertising network. For example, if a user follows a restaurant on Google Plus, that user’s name, photo, and positive endorsement may be displayed in advertisements for that restaurant that friends and others see.

    I understand that, according to Google’s Terms of Service Update: “When it comes to shared endorsements in ads, you can control the use of your Profile name and photo via the Shared Endorsements setting. If you turn the setting to “off,” your Profile name and photo will not show up on that ad for your favorite bakery or any other ads.” Nevertheless, Google’s Update continues: “This setting only applies to use in ads, and doesn’t change whether your Profile name or photo may be used in other places such as Google Play.”

    Moreover, in addition to being an opt-out mechanism, Google’s announced privacy changes come over two years after the company reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. In that matter, the Commission had alleged that Google used deceptive tactics and violated its own privacy promises to consumers when Google Buzz was launched in 2010. Google and the FTC agreed on a settlement that bars the company from future privacy misrepresentations; requires Google to implement a comprehensive privacy policy; and initiates regular, independent privacy audits of the company for the next two decades.

    I respectfully request the Commission’s views on whether Google’s planned changes violate the settlement agreement. I also request that the Commission provide me with information about any actions it has taken or plans to take to investigate whether Google’s proposed changes to its privacy policy violate its agreement with the Commission.

    Thank you for your attention to this important matter. If you have any questions, please have a member of your staff contact Joseph Wender at 202-224-2742.

    Sincerely,
    Edward J. Markey

    Are you okay with Google’s changes? After all, they do let you opt out of showing up in ads. Do the changes enable Google to improve its products? Share your thoughts in the comments.

    Note: This article has been expanded from its original form.

    Images: Google

  • Link Your YouTube Channel With Your Google+ Page

    Google announced today that it will soon launch the option to link your YouTube channel with a Google+ page. You will be able to use your channel name as your Google identity.

    Google has been beta testing the option with some channels, but it will become available to all creators in the coming weeks.

    For months, Google has been giving YouTube users the ability to use their Google+ profiles on their YouTube channels, using their real names rather than old YouTube account names.

    “While using a full name from a Google+ profile might work well for a creator who wants to build their brand as an individual, this simply doesn’t work if you don’t want a full name on your channel,” says Google’s David Boyle. “If you run a channel with a name like BlueXephos or VlogBrothers, you should create a Google+ page (as opposed to a profile) with that name.”

    Google says it will continue to develop new engagement features (like Hangouts on Air) that take advantage of the best of both YouTube and Google+.