Google and Your Privacy

The information age has empowered people around the world to speak their mind, create, and be heard. But for all the advances we've seen, technology can sometimes make it feel as if our lives are an open book. Mobile phones track our movements. Emails leave a trail of who we talk to and what we say. And blogs, video sharing sites, and social networks make it possible to share almost anything with almost anyone.

At Google we are keenly aware of the trust that our users place in us, and our responsibility to protect their privacy. Some in Washington have recently raised the subject of online privacy in connection with our acquisition of the online advertising delivery company DoubleClick (the subject of an ongoing Federal Trade Commission review and a recent Senate hearing). We understand those questions, but, for us, privacy does not begin or end with the purchase of DoubleClick. Privacy is a user interest that we've been protecting since our inception nearly 10 years ago.

We protect and respect user privacy in many ways. For example, strong privacy safeguards are built into our products, and we explain to users how data is used to provide and improve these products.

At some companies, engineers build a product and then lawyers figure out afterwards how to make it privacy-friendly. At Google, from the beginning, we design products to allow users to see and choose how much data is shared. For example, our chat program, Google Talk, permits users to take sensitive conversations "off the record," and our Web History service lets users view, pause, or clear their entire search history with one click. When signing up for products that collect personal information, we fully disclose exactly what we'll collect and how that information will be used. On top of that, if desired, users can use most services anonymously.

To guard against data breaches, we have developed industry-leading safeguards to protect against unauthorized disclosure of data. 

Earlier this year, Google was the first leading search engine to announce a limit on maintaining user search logs—essentially, a record of previous Google searches. After 18 months, a portion of the computer IP address associated with a particular search will now be removed.  Excessive government requests to access users' data have been resisted, including the successful opposition to a 2006 Department of Justice subpoena for millions of search queries.

Have you ever installed a piece of software and faced a brain-numbing legalese privacy policy that you rushed to click through? When Google software is downloaded, only a clear, simple notice is displayed, which provides easy digestible information on the information being collected. If a user wants to learn more, a longer, more detailed notice is available. But we believe that users should not need a law degree to grasp how privacy is protected and respected.

Privacy education does not end there. To further help educate users, Google has launched a series of YouTube videos to explain how, when, and why data is collected and stored. Numerous privacy and consumer advocates were consulted in the development of these ideas. But this is a continuous and changing dialogue.

Strong privacy practices will be continued with the DoubleClick acquisition. We recently started testing an ad technology that allows us to experiment with new approaches to privacy. For example, an opt-out mechanism would allow people to choose against placement of an advertising cookie on their computer. Another possibility is the use of "crumbled" cookies, which would prevent user data from being stored under a single ID location. Better forms of notice within ads would help users understand who is behind such online ads. Like all experiments, these ideas may or may not work. However, Google is committed to increasing user trust with the evolution of online advertising.

Privacy is a priority and a core part of Google's culture. Our business depends on protecting and respecting it. If users are uncomfortable with the management of information provided, our competitor’s services are just a click away. Remember, before Google, users clicked on an earlier generation of search engines like Excite, Altavista, Lycos, and Infoseek—each extremely popular in its time.

Government can and should play a key role in protecting the privacy of its citizens. The U.S. government could lead the effort to create broad-based privacy standards that protect consumers and give clear rules to business. We support federal privacy legislation, and we recently advocated for the world community to develop global privacy standards to help build consumer trust and confidence in the Internet. That is a long-term project. So, in the meantime, Google will continue to protect and respect users' privacy, while remaining engaged with consumers, advocacy groups, and government agencies.

The information revolution has already transformed our lives. By ensuring that privacy safeguards keep pace with technological change, we will maintain the trust essential for future growth.

Eric Schmidt is Chairman and CEO of Google.