Google wants to sell your endorsements - and it's not asking permission

Plan revealed in search giant's new terms and conditions. Your - and your profile photo - could soon be starring in ads.

NBR staff
Sun, 13 Oct 2013

If you've seen that blue banner across Google's home page saying it has new terms and conditions, it's worth clicking on.

For it reveals Google's plan to sell its users endorsements of anything from a smartphone to a restaurant - without first asking for permission first.

Google's terms and conditions already mean your "+1" endorsements on its Google Plus social network might appear in an ad (in similar fashion to the way your Faceook "Like" of product or service or brand could be used in an ad).

Now, from November 11, it will use not just your name but your profile photo and ratings too as part of what it's calling "shared endorsements."

The company is also expanding the type of content that may appear in ads. For example, ratings of songs in the Google Play store, or restaurant reviews posted to its Google+ social network.

Shared endorsements could appear in Google search results, or on anyone of Google's stable of products. The company hasn't said whether user information would be included in the ads Google places on third-party sites.

The shared endorsements programme will extend to third-party apps where you login in using your Google account.

If you click on that blue banner, or got into your profile settings, you can opt out of the new system.

Auckland man Ben Gracewood (@nzben) did so and received the following pop-up:

He quipped, "My friends" Google? I think you mean "Google Inc."

NBR staff
Sun, 13 Oct 2013

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Google wants to sell your endorsements - and it's not asking permission

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