Google recently enhanced its user privacy controls. It also launched a new website to address privacy concerns for its users. The FAQs page covers questions regarding data collection and privacy matters.
Google’s increased privacy controls
Although users have been able to modify privacy settings for awhile now, operating the control settings can sometimes be difficult. This issue is primarily because of the scattered settings across various places on the web. Users who are new to this will have to access My Account, a feature that offers security and privacy checkups. It also provides a list allowing people to select the data they want private (or public).
Google’s product manager, Guemmy Kim, admitted that the goal was to make the privacy controls easier for everyone to access. There is a growing interest in data control among internet users.
Two years ago, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed classified documents detailing how the government had a significant collection of phone records and had cornered tech companies with lots of data. The report comes just after Google’s announcement of Android’s increased app permissions. The permissions enable Android users to have more control over what apps share with third-party companies.
Google’s I/O event was rather non-eventful
Google’s I/O event was relatively quiet this year. Some of this year’s rumored devices and products didn’t make an appearance at the big event: Android Wear for iOS, Chromecast 2, Android VR, and Google Glass 2.0. The latter two would have made a big impact in the wearables world, but Android Wear for iOS would also have made things interesting. The tech giant’s top rival, Apple, already trumps it in many products. The possibility of giving Apple Watch users an option to use Google services on the new wearable would have given the search giant an advantage over its rival.
Google did talk about virtual reality-based products at this year’s I/O, but it has nothing to show for it.
