Google has changed its privacy rules to say that it can gather public information to make its AI models better.
Recently, Google made changes to its privacy policy. Now, Google can collect and study the things people share on the internet to train its AI models.
Google plans to use this information to make its services better and create new products that use AI.
Google’s updated privacy policy has made privacy advocates worried and questions whether the company really cares about keeping user information safe. Google says the changes will make their products and services better, and they will use the data in a way that matches what users expect.
Google uses information to make our services better and create new things that help people. They use information from the public to teach their AI models and make products like Google Translate, Bard, and Cloud AI better.
New Privacy Policy Update
Google announces a new privacy policy update that will allow them to collect public data for AI training. The new privacy policy update will allow Google to collect data from public sources, such as websites and apps that use their services. This data will be used to train their artificial intelligence (AI) models.
Google has been collecting data for AI training for many years now. However, this is the first time that they are specifically mentioning it in their privacy policy. They say that the collected data will help improve their products and services.
This change will let Google get information about users from different sources, like emails, search queries, and YouTube videos. Google wants to use this data to make its computer programs smarter and better at understanding things. They also hope to create new things that users will find useful.
Some people might worry that Google is collecting their private information. But Google has said that they will only gather information that is already public and that they will keep users’ privacy safe.
Transition from “Language” Models To “AI” Models
Google’s revised terms of service signify a distinct departure from its previous policies.
Prior to the recent update, Google’s policy stated that it utilized user data to enhance “language” models.
However, the updated policy grants Google the right to leverage user data for the improvement of all its “AI” models and products, encompassing translation systems, text generation systems, and cloud AI services.
Google emphasizes these modifications in its privacy policy archive page.
Typically, privacy policies confine companies to collecting data directly provided by users. With Google’s new policy, the company can utilize any publicly posted information for its purposes.
Privacy Concerns
There is a concern among certain users regarding the potential impact on privacy brought about by this update. On one side, they argue that since the data being collected is publicly available, Google has the right to gather it. On the other side, there is concern that this data could be utilized to train AI systems, enabling targeted advertisements and content delivery based on individuals’ personal information.
The utilization of AI systems to analyze people’s online posts raises apprehensions about privacy.
AI technologies like Google’s Bard and OpenAI’s ChatGPT might be absorbing and reusing individuals’ publicly shared posts, reviews, and other online content.
While anything posted publicly on the internet can be accessed by anyone, the focus now shifts from who can view the data to how it might be employed.
Furthermore, the legality of this method of data collection remains uncertain.
Moving forward, it is anticipated that courts will grapple with intricate copyright issues.
Web Scraping
Web scraping has become a significant topic of interest among influential figures in the tech industry, including Elon Musk. Musk has expressed his concerns about web scraping and has even linked it to various recent issues on Twitter, suggesting that the platform’s attempts to prevent data extraction have caused problems.
Recently, Twitter imposed limitations on the number of tweets users could see per day, making the service almost unusable. Musk attributed this restriction to the need to combat “data scraping” and “system manipulation.”
The widespread use of web scraping by tech giants has now become a crucial subject in the ongoing discussion about consumer data usage and privacy.
Think Before You Share
When we share things online, we need to think about what we’re sharing. This is especially important because Google has recently changed its privacy policy to collect public information for training artificial intelligence.
Sometimes it might seem convenient to share our addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses online, but we should know that anyone who knows where to look can find this information. If we’re not careful with our account privacy settings, this information could easily end up in the wrong hands.
Even if we share things that we think are harmless, they could be used in ways we didn’t expect. For example, our internet browsing history might be used to show us targeted ads, or our IP addresses could be used to track where we are.
That’s why it’s crucial to think carefully about what we post or say on the internet. We should only share things that we’re okay with others seeing, and we should be cautious about our account privacy settings. By being more thoughtful about what we share, we can protect ourselves from unwanted attention and invasions of our privacy.
How to Keep Your Data Safe
If you’re worried about Google’s privacy policy changes, here are some simple steps you can take to make sure Google doesn’t use your data to train its AI systems:
- Only share information publicly that you’re okay with anyone, including Google, seeing and using.
- Use Google’s privacy controls. Go to your Google Account and check your privacy settings. You can choose to opt out of features like “Web & App Activity,” “Location History,” and “Voice & Audio Activity.”
- Try using different services. Instead of using Google services like Search, Gmail, YouTube, Chrome, etc., you can switch to other providers that have stricter privacy policies. There are different choices you can use for different things. You can use DuckDuckGo to search for things on the internet, ProtonMail for sending and receiving emails, Vimeo for sharing videos, and Brave for surfing the web. When using Google services, use incognito or private browsing mode if possible.
- Before using websites, mobile apps, or other services, read their privacy policies carefully. Be cautious if they mention sharing your data with Google.
- If you have concerns about how Google uses your data to train its AI models, reach out to Google directly to express your worries.
Final Thoughts
Google made a change that lets them gather and study information from the public to teach their AI systems. This brings up important things to think about.
First, as AI gets smarter, tech companies want more data. But they need to collect this data in a legal and fair way. Users should agree to it and know how their information will be used.
Second, people need to be careful about what they share online. Public posts could end up being used in ways they didn’t expect.
AI has many good things to offer, but it also creates new problems. We need to solve these problems to use AI responsibly in the future.
What is your opinion on the changes made to this privacy policy? Are you concerned about Google collecting data for AI training?
