back to article Google: Now your mom will try to sell you toilet paper

Google has changed its privacy policy so it can scrape user data and turn it into "social" adverts. The change was announced by the company on Friday and sees Google follow Facebook in trying to make money out of the social relationships between its hundreds of millions of users by having them advertise to one another. The …

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  1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    cue viral spoof review in 3 2 1 ...

    I'm assuming an army of Goolgeplex umpa-lumpas aren't choosing these personally

    So there will be some sort of algorithm that just picks the most popular linked reviews - can't see any way in which will people will game this for their own amusement

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: cue viral spoof review in 3 2 1 ...

      It's spelt "Mum", unless you are from the colonies and have given up using English....

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: cue viral spoof review in 3 2 1 ...

        @AC 15:45. Downvote as your post has nothing to do with the post you replied to, you just replied to the first post to get attention.

        Attention whores get downvotes.

      2. DropBear
        Trollface

        Re: cue viral spoof review in 3 2 1 ...

        Oh, so that's where the diminutive form "mummy" comes from...! I propose we sue the ancient Egyptians for misappropriating it ASAP.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    whatever will they do next...

    to monetise the data they hold on us?

    The gran plan it seems is to elimnate our privacy and anonyminty. Their gran plan to chip away little by little is seemingly never ending.

    I'm happy that I've never been sucked into the world of FaceBook, GMail and Twitter.

    Anon for blindingly obvious reasons.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Frumious Bandersnatch
      Headmaster

      Re: whatever will they do next...

      The gran[d] plan it seems is to elimnate

      I assume you meant "e-limn", which as any fule no is "e-" (for electronic) + limn (depict or describe in pictures or words). The -ate suffix is entirely unnecessary.

      Anyway, in fact that's just what they're planning on doing, as described in the article ... (Do keep up, [007]).

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: whatever will they do next...

      > Anon for blindingly obvious reasons.

      Oh, hi Jeremy! :)

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Google devices

      Wonder how many of the "anti" comments are being written on an Android or Chrome device, just curious.

      1. Steve Renouf
        Big Brother

        Re: Google devices

        6 (six) [had to add the spelling to get the required letters into the post]

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The gran plan it seems is to elimnate our privacy and anonyminty

      you're mistaking a means with an end. Screwing your privacy is only a means to achieve an end, which is - to make money. If they could make MORE money by protecting your anonymity and tearing kittens to pieces (presumably in a legislative system which makes it ok) - they would switch to protecting it, and would be as efficient and unfaltering as they are now, trampling over it.

    6. FuzzyTheBear

      Re: whatever will they do next...

      This is THE problem i see with the whole situation of monetising us .. we get nothing , zero , nada , not a penny and certainly not a sovereign .We are being milked like a herd of cows and get nothing in return .

      If we had a benifit to this , i would not object so much but i find it highly insulting that they use US for their profit and that WE get nothing zero . The use of their data gathering tool is by no means compensation. I beleive at some point people will wake up and put their feet down. We provide the data they make astronomical profits out of , why should we not get paid for it ?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: whatever will they do next...

        In fact you do get paid for it in the sense that you get to use free facebook/gmail/other web toys. If you choose not to use them and take some minimal precautions (like using Ghostery/AdBlock etc) then you can't be milked. Don't recommend things and those recommendations can't be used against you.

        You don't have to use Facebook or Gmail and there are even alternative search engines that are just as useful 99% of the time. It is a little more effort to find/make alternatives; but none of these services are compulsory.

    7. Amorous Cowherder
      Facepalm

      Re: whatever will they do next...

      "The gran plan it seems is to elimnate our privacy and anonyminty."

      What are you stupid? That was the plan since the day Messrs Serge and Brin first had an idea at college. I accept that when I use Google every keystroke I put through to them is monitored and collated for later use, it's the price we pay to use their services. Don't want to pay? Don't use it but you'll be hard pushed to find any search services that are not paid for in this way.

      Simply shove in AdBlock+ and FlashBlock and that will stop the cack on screen, then only submit to the engines exactly whatever you need to to get the info you want back.

    8. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: whatever will they do next...

      " The gran plan "

      Is this something new from Sun Life?

      (people who are not from the colonies will get the joke)

    9. Norman Hartnell

      Re: whatever will they do next...

      If only they had given us some sort of opt-out so we didn't have to see our face next to an advert...oh, hang on, they did, clearly shown when you log in. So what was your point again? Do you think Google should provide free services from pure altruism?

  3. Andrew_b65

    Thank GOD...

    ... that I don't have any friends, phew!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      Re: Thank GOD...

      I do. But I think my propensity for entertainments and actions outside the norm will not exactly enamor me with my friends...but since I've never cared before....why should I start now.

      Am I the only person who, while using their loyalty card, buys sets of items that only a:

      1) serial killer

      2) rapist

      3) suicide

      would buy?

    2. Turtle

      @ Andrew_b65 Re: Thank GOD...

      "Thank GOD that I don't have any friends, phew!"

      Ah but for those who do, this is the next best thing: get recommendations from your friends without having to actually interact with them! And depending on what you think of this or that particular friend, you can either take their positive endorsements as intended, or consider them warnings.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I hear the sound of G+ profiles being deleted, in 3... 2... 1...

    Didn't another advertiser have issues with this "Your friend recommends this..." type of advertising a few years back? People were quite rightly getting upset with the thoughts of unwittingly sponsoring things they'd rather keep quiet: "Your friend Dave just bought 'Living with Alcoholism' via Google Shopping," or "Sarah just +1'd the 'ACME Paternity Kit' "

    It could also take the surprise out of Christmas shopping...

    1. Adam T

      I think Amazon did it, no? I recall people complaining of Christmas shopping being scuppered.

      1. Adam T

        Ah on second thoughts, no I'm think of when they first brought in the "things you recently purchased/looked at" feature (which is still there, and still gets me alt-tabbing sometimes...

        1. monkeyfish

          You still have to actually +1 or like to get these things advertised to your friends.. Who the hell +1's a 'SM for beginners' book? Or anything for that matter. Why would I (or any other sane person) ever +1/like some product I bought, even if I did like it?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's so genius.

    The advertising of social media sites from older social media sites like Geocities and MySpace have made their advertising of advertising to other corporations about how advertising to advertise extremely effective. With this latest advertisement, advertising that advertising to people who will in return advertise is a remarkable step forward !

    If they ever find buyers, do you think they'll advertise that?

  6. Sporkinum

    Gee Plus Only (for now)

    It only applies if you have G+, so no problem for now.

    1. jonathanb Silver badge

      Re: Gee Plus Only (for now)

      Everyone with a Gmail or Youtube account has a G+ account, though the probably don't use it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Gee Plus Only (for now)

        And most people with an Android phone have a Google account as well...

        1. Steve Renouf
          Alert

          Re: Gee Plus Only (for now)

          Oh, is that the one that never syncs, because it's not actually set up anywhere?

      2. bluest.one

        Re: Gee Plus Only (for now)

        >Everyone with a Gmail or Youtube account has a G+ account, though the probably don't use it.

        Care to show the evidence that what you say is true?

        1. Tomato42

          Re: Gee Plus Only (for now)

          This may be true for new accounts, it's certainly not true for old accounts. But the little buggers did link my YT to my GMails and now I have to be very careful where I click every two-theree weeks when they are telling^W asking me if I want to use my real name for YT.

          1. M Gale

            Re: Gee Plus Only (for now)

            This may be true for new accounts...

            It's not even true for new accounts. Go through the setup procedure. Once you get to "congratulations, now give us all your private information so we can spaff it to the world in a G+ account", you close the browser. Then reopen and log in with your new account, minus Google Facebook.

      3. Caoilte

        Re: Gee Plus Only (for now)

        youtube yes, gmail no.

        Although you can't do much with google talk any more if you don't have g+.

        Since I don't want G+, I can see the very real prospect of being forced to re-acquaint myself with email servers and bayesian spam filters again.

  7. Version 1.0 Silver badge

    I smell an opportunity

    I'm off to create some fake G+ profiles - Wayne Ker and R. Supward both recommend Boudreaux's Butt Paste for that soothing feeling after a romp with the missus...

  8. Khaptain Silver badge

    Pick one

    Definition of Google :

    * An interactive means by which shallow minded souls can be revealed to ones similars.

    * A dirty polluting engine fuelled by its own users.

    * A milking machine drawing endlessly from humanities orifices in order to provide fodder for humanity .

  9. Number6

    I avoid it by not having a G+ account, so I have no friends so they can't advertise to me.

    1. FrankAlphaXII
      Mushroom

      As someone stated earlier, If you have a YouTube or Gmail account, you also have a G+ account, though you probably don't use it. Google's trying really hard to force everyone to use Google+, though the more they try to force people into it, the more people become annoyed with them.

      1. TitterYeNot

        As someone stated earlier, If you have a YouTube or Gmail account, you also have a G+ account

        Not necessarily so. If I log in to my GMail account, then try to access G+, I am prompted to downgrade upgrade to G+. As mentioned earlier, it may depend on how long ago you created your GMail account though.

  10. Vociferous

    It's getting real hard to like Google.

    It's a bit like Microsoft*, it does some good things then turns around and becomes the lovechild of Stalin and Idi Amin.

    * before Windows 8. After that, no more Mr Good Things.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Presumably the opt-out stops you seeing these ads, is there an option to opt out of being in one

    1. Robert Masters
      Meh

      Back to front

      Nope, the opt-out is to be *in* the ads. Like the orginial article said. And under-18s are automatically excluded (even if they try to opt-in).

      So potentially annoying, yes, but you get to control if you are going to be annoying to others.

      Simple solution? Anytime you see someone in one of your circles come up in an ad, remove them, block them, and report them as spammers. Problem quickly goes away. (Of course you could always gently suggest to them that they opt-out too, but where's the fun in that?)

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can I have a G++ account, please?

    You know, the kind where you don't fucking spy on me all the time and try to sell my shit.

    1. Shrimpling

      Re: Can I have a G++ account, please?

      I think you have mis-understood what social media is used for.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Google is removing the only grounds for someone to use Google+ over Facebook

    Back when Facebook first started this kind of crap a fair number of people joined Google+ hoping to pull everyone away from Facebook because of what they were doing. I joined and ended up having about 20% of my Facebook friends in my 'circle' or whatever they call it.

    I think it was over this very issue that many of us joined Google+ in the first place, but Facebook pisses people off and makes them threaten to leave every six months or so, so than a few tentative waves of people creating an account on Google+ hoping it might reach critical mass and replace Facebook, few ever actually leave. We just tighten our privacy settings after they undo them, or stop doing things that will cause problems with the new shit they're pulling (i.e. I unliked all but a handful of local businesses so I won't appear in ads on other people's feeds)

    If it weren't for Facebook constantly eating away at privacy Google+ could have never got off the ground. Now Google is effectively killing it - why would anyone ever login to Google+ again (I only check it about every other month anyway because nothing ever happens there) when its policies are clearly on the way to becoming just as bad as Facebook's? At least with Facebook I actually have friends there I can keep in touch with, versus the tumbleweeds blowing around on Google+.

    I should probably delete my Google+ account, but I think I'll leave it up to see how long it takes before Google shuts the doors. Since my myspace account is still around even though I last logged in in 2007, it might be a while. Guess it doesn't matter since I probably only posted about three things on Google+ anyway!

  14. petur

    opt-in or opt-out?

    As far as I can tell (from the limited profiles I checked), the setting is opt-out by default?

    Anyway, nothing I really like, so time to really make some work of de-googlyfying...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: opt-in or opt-out?

      As far as I can tell (from the limited profiles I checked), the setting is opt-out by default?

      Nope, it's opt-in by default. The profiles you checked were from the savvy ones.

      (anon, to chime in with the sage sentiments above)

      1. A Long Fellow

        Re: opt-in or opt-out?

        I received an alert from Google that this would be happening, got a fairly informative page that told me what they planned to do, and saw some inks to control the "opt-in/opt-out" setting. When I went to that page -- which I had NOT seen before -- it was definitely an opt-IN, so the default setting is not malicious.

  15. William Donelson

    Best headline by El Reg, EVER!

    Best headline by El Reg, EVER!

    1. Francis Boyle Silver badge

      Well, telling me what toilet paper to use

      is just the sort of thing my mum would do so nothing's changed there but yes a good* headline.

      *By definition not the best since it doesn't contain the words "FOUND ON THE MOON".

  16. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    So, it sounds like the reviews are at least actual reviews; if I looked up cell phones and a few friends actually reviewed them, well why not pull that up? They best not be sticking my head onto just some random product though implying I endorse it (it doesn't look like they are doing this.)

  17. stucs201

    I hate to defend facebook, but...

    "Google's rival Facebook has been doing social and contextual advertising for several years, but Zuck & Co don't give their cattle users a chance to opt out of being harvested."

    So what does the setting "Pair my social actions with adverts for " do when set to Noone?

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