14 DAY TRIAL // Last week, Google announced plans to make a series of changes to its privacy policies regarding some of its most popular products, and concerns on the matter started to emerge soon afterwards.
Some suggested that Google might actually plan on increasing its control over user’s accounts, and that the new changes would make it harder for users to stay on top of their data.
Microsoft was fast to take advantage of this, and decided to run an ad campaign in some newspapers in the US, informing users on the maneuvers Google actually plans.
According to Microsoft, Google’s intentions are nowhere near the “transparency” and “simplicity” that the Internet giant is touting.
Moreover, the Redmond-based company took the opportunity to push its own products to the front, suggesting that they would, in fact, deliver the security and reliability that users need.
Google did learn of all these. The company even came up with a response to Microsoft’s claims. The bottom line, according to Google, is that the Redmond-based giant did nothing more that fuel myths.
The company located in Mountain View says it did not make changes to its privacy policies. They are as before, and users can fully control their personal data.
“Our users can: edit and delete their search history; edit and delete their YouTube viewing history; use many of our services signed in or out; use Google Dashboard and our Ads Preferences Manager to see what data we collect and manage the way it is used,” Google says.
Moreover, Google notes that it does not collect data to sell it to advertisers, and that it is not seeking to peep inside users’ emails. Its apps are government-certified too.
But there’s more to it. Microsoft alleged that its privacy policies were better than Google’s. It shouldn’t have said that, the Internet giant suggests. In fact, it says that its products come with increased transparency when it comes to users’ data compared to Microsoft’s offerings:
Microsoft has no data liberation effort or Dashboard-like hub for users. Their privacy policy states that “information collected through one Microsoft service may be combined with information obtained through other Microsoft services.”
In addition to defending itself, Google punched back too: “We’ve always believed […] that it’s best to focus on our users rather than negative attacks on other companies.”