Google is making a big change in its Terms of Service agreement it has with Google Account owners. The company revealed the changes late on Friday and if you have a Google Account you are immediately alerted to go to the Terms of Service page if you surf to any of Google's sites.
The changes, which officially go into effect on November 11th, center mostly on how Google can use a person's name and photo if they use a Google Account. Here is the part of the Terms of Service that has been updated:
If you have a Google Account, we may display your Profile name, Profile photo, and actions you take on Google or on third-party applications connected to your Google Account (such as +1’s, reviews you write and comments you post) in our Services, including displaying in ads and other commercial contexts.
Yep, that does mean that beginning on November 11th, you could see your name and image being used in Google ads, rather than just comments on YouTube or starred recommendations on Google Maps. However, the company says that any of its account users can opt out of this by going to the Shared Endorsements page and removing the check in the box that allows Google to access their name and photo in ads. Google adds, "This setting only applies to use in ads, and doesn’t change whether your Profile name or photo may be used in other places such as Google Play."
Google has also made a couple of other changes to its Terms of Service but these are more like recommendations to users. One is basically asking people not to use any mobile devices while they are driving a vehicle. The other is to be careful in using passwords that connect to Google services and to keep that information confidential.
Source: Google | Image via Google
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