Google recently announced some new Adwords policy changes set to take effect on May 17th that address privacy and personal information concerns. The new rules are an attempt to curb unscrupulous advertisers and sites that collect sensitive information through an unsecured connection.
The new additions are:
– Making the privacy policy easier to access: A privacy policy that talks about how your site will use user information must now be easily accessible.
– Specify an opt out policy: The privacy policy must also contain information about how users can opt-out of any future emails, calls, etc …
– SSL is now required: This applies to any site collecting payment and sensitive personal information like financial information and social security numbers
This is a great step forward, but ultimately it is up to users to be vigilant about sites that are likely to abuse personal information and transmit information in an unsecured environment. Some of the responsibility for protecting users rests with Google. Allowing advertisers to target industries prone to fraud like “work from home jobs” and “advance fee loans” only furthers the problem. Recently, we discussed a serious problem with their Adwords program that allows people to buy controlled substances.
Google Updates Their Adwords Policy to Cover Privacy, Opt-Out, SSL
