Google privacy policy changes — APPA Correspondence 2012

Google has substantially reduced the number of privacy policies across its services. The changes allow Google to combine user information relating to different Google products within a single user account.

On 28 February 2012, the Australian Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, on behalf of the Technology Working Group of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities forum, wrote to Google expressing concern about the changes and asking a series of questions about how users would be affected.

Google responded to this letter on 29 February 2012.

On 18 May 2012, Commissioner Pilgrim again wrote to Google on behalf of the Technology Working Group of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities forum seeking clarification of data retention periods and the aggregation of data across separate Google accounts.

On 16 October 2012, the European Union Article 29 Data Protection Working Party released findings and recommendations of an investigation into Google’s privacy policy Members of the APPA forum sent a letter supporting many of the recommendations of the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party.