Data, we all use it, generate it, love it, fear it, but how many of us understand him it. There’s no secret that many people both within and outside the tech media take umbrage with what they see as Google’s mass data collection of their users. Even the infamous, and increasing less relevant, Edward Snowden has recently taken a pot shot at Allo. What’s a giant Data giant to do?
Seemingly to combat this Google has just launched a new promotional campaign “Meet Data”. Unfortunately, they haven’t hired Star Trek’s Data to be the voice of their data privacy campaign, but what they are doing is trying to raise awareness about what data is, how they use it, how it makes their products so much better than everyone else’s and how they protect your data and privacy.
Check out the first (of many we’re guessing) Meet Data promotions below.
This video tries to show how by collection – and anonymising – data on a mass scale Google can train their products and services to be faster, smarter and more relevant. If you follow the link it will lead you to Googles Privacy Hub, which is well worth an explore.
From there you can learn both about how Google uses data and all of the multiple options you have to both control and restrict the data Google collects and uses. Remember Google never shares any data about any user. If we take the “we are not Google’s customers we are their product” stance, which has some merit, I’d argue we are both, then it would be crazy for Google to ever sell identifiable information, people would simply collect and aggregate it themselves, and wam Google’s sold its magic cow.
No, Google sells the ability to target specific demographic or market types, not individual data. That is not to say that Google doesn’t have a vast amount of data on us, and it is their responsibility to both keep us informed about how to control it and to keep it safe. It is a bond of trust, and we here think that Google takes that responsibility seriously.
Either way, it’s good to see Google getting out in front of the innuendo and try and educate consumers directly, so people can make their own decisions and not rely on the tin foil hat wearing brigade, or others whose opinions may not be pure of heart.
Let us know if you spot any more of Google’s Meet Data Videos.
