---
layout: default
title: "Google's Privacy Policy Raises Hackles"
description: "The Times of India report on Google's controversial 2012 privacy policy consolidation enabling cross-service data combination without opt-out provisions, featuring Sunil Abraham's critique of indefinite data retention and contextual privacy violations."
categories: [Media mentions]
date: 2012-01-26
source: "The Times of India"
authors: ["Javed Anwer"]
permalink: /media/googles-privacy-policy-raises-hackles-times-of-india/
created: 2025-12-24
---

**Google's Privacy Policy Raises Hackles** is a news report published by *The Times of India* on 26 January 2012, written by Javed Anwer. The article examines Google's announcement that it would consolidate over 60 separate privacy policies into a single unified policy effective 1 March 2012, enabling the company to combine user data across all its services without providing an opt-out mechanism. It features commentary from Sunil Abraham criticising indefinite data retention practices and the erosion of contextual privacy boundaries between different Google services. The article was also published on [*The Economic Times*](/media/fear-data-misuse-google-privacy-policy-hackles/) on the same date.

## Contents

1. [Article Details](#article-details)  
2. [Full Text](#full-text)  
3. [Context and Background](#context-and-background)  
4. [External Link](#external-link)

## Article Details

<dl class="media-details">
  <dt>📰 Published in:</dt>
  <dd><em>The Times of India</em></dd>

  <dt>✍️ Author:</dt>
  <dd>Javed Anwer</dd>

  <dt>📅 Date:</dt>
  <dd>26 January 2012</dd>

  <dt>📄 Type:</dt>
  <dd>News Report</dd>

  <dt>📰 Newspaper Link:</dt>
  <dd>
    <a class="btn" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/googles-privacy-policy-raises-hackles/articleshow/11635794.cms">Read Online</a>
  </dd>
</dl>

## Full Text

<div class="highlighted-text" id="fulltext">

<p>NEW DELHI: Have you ever used Google to search for a restaurant while you were logged in to its network using your Google ID? Or shared information about your trip to Goa with your friends on Google+? Or watched belly dance on YouTube? Or looked for Sunny Leone pictures on Google images? If yes, Google knows about it. And according to its new privacy policy it is going to put this information to some use.</p> 

<p>The web giant says the new privacy policy will allow it to offer better services, including more relevant search results. But web experts have raised concerns over potential misuse of data and breach of privacy. According to Google's new privacy policy that will come into effect from March 1, the company is "getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google services and replacing them with one that's shorter, easier to read" and something that will enable it to "create intuitive experience across Google". Unlike in the past when Google had allowed users to choose personalized services, this time there is no option to opt out.</p>

<p>For an end-user this means that whatever information he shares through Google searches, Gmail, Google+, Picasa etc will be used to customize Google services for him. That the move is significant can be gauged from the fact that Google has provided a link to the new policy directly under its search engine on main page, something that the company rarely does. Google users will also be notified about the policy change through an email.</p> 

<p>"Our new privacy policy makes clear that, if you're signed in, we may combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services. In short, we'll treat you as a single user across all our products, which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google experience," said Alma Whitten, Google's director of privacy, in a post on the company's official blog.</p>

<p>Whitten gave some example of how this information will be used. "We can make search better — figuring out what you really mean when you type in Apple, Jaguar or Pink. We can provide more relevant ads too," she wrote. "We can provide reminders that you're going to be late for a meeting based on your location, your calendar and an understanding of what the traffic is like that day. Or ensure that our spelling suggestions, even for your friends' names, are accurate because you've typed them before."</p>

<p>The privacy policy from Google is at the heart of its new business strategy as it works to keep the search engine relevant and its services fresh in the face of social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook. It is also prompted by the proliferation of devices like smartphones and tablets. However, privacy experts are not amused. Sunil Abraham, director of Centre for Internet and Society, said the new changes are not good for a consumer's privacy.</p> 

<p>"I understand that Google collects the data so that it can build a 360 degree profile of a user and based on the information serve relevant advertisements. But there is no reason for them to store this data for long. Storing data makes it prone to misuse by authorities as well as corporations," said Abraham. Another, problem, he said is that different services are used for different purposes. "I don't want my bakery shop owner to know what kind of medicines Ibuy from the nearby medical store," said Abraham.</p>

<p><strong>Are you being watched?</strong></p>

<p><strong>What |</strong> For an end-user the new policy means that whatever information he shares through Google searches, Gmail, Google+, Picasa, etc will be used to customize Google services for him</p>

<p><strong>Why |</strong> The privacy policy is at the heart of Google's business strategy as it tries to keep the search engine relevant in the face of social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook</p>

<p><strong>Concerns |</strong> It's intrusive as online activity is tracked; storing data makes it prone to misuse by authorities as well as corporations</p>

</div>

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## Context and Background

Google's privacy policy consolidation in March 2012 represented a fundamental shift in how the company handled user data across its ecosystem of services. Previously, data collected from YouTube remained separate from Gmail, Google Search operated independently from Google+, and users had greater control over whether to enable cross-service personalisation. The new unified policy removed these silos, enabling Google to build comprehensive profiles combining search queries, email content, video viewing habits, location history and social network activity.

The change was driven by competitive pressures from Facebook, which had integrated social networking deeply into its platform, and by the proliferation of mobile devices where users expected seamless experiences across multiple applications. Google framed the consolidation as simplification and improved user experience, but critics argued it represented a significant expansion of surveillance capabilities without meaningful consent mechanisms.

European data protection authorities immediately challenged the policy. The Article 29 Working Party, representing EU data protection regulators, concluded in October 2012 that the policy violated the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC because it failed to specify explicit purposes for data processing, lacked granular user controls, and did not provide adequate information about how data would be combined. Google was ordered to implement specific opt-out mechanisms and obtain explicit consent for certain data combinations, but largely resisted these requirements, leading to enforcement actions and fines in multiple European countries.

Sunil Abraham's critique highlighted two key concerns that would become central to data protection debates globally. First, the indefinite retention of behavioural data created security risks and enabled both government surveillance and corporate profiling at unprecedented scales. Second, the violation of contextual privacy norms—the principle that people share different information in different contexts and expect those contexts to remain separate—represented a fundamental departure from user expectations. His metaphor about the bakery owner and medical store illustrated how combining data from different services could reveal intimate personal information that users would never voluntarily disclose.

The 2012 policy change laid the groundwork for Google's current advertising model and its dominance in behavioural targeting. It also catalysed global discussions about data protection that ultimately led to the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2016, which mandated explicit consent for data processing, purpose limitation, and strengthened user rights to control personal data.

## External Link

- [Read on The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/googles-privacy-policy-raises-hackles/articleshow/11635794.cms)

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