Imagine you were in a room with Google’s top product and policy folks, and you were asked “What is the one thing Google should do better for users?” What would you suggest?
For me, it probably would be for Google to follow the guidelines of the U.S. Federal Trade Commissions “Fair Information Practice Principles” and create a Google Data Privacy Center, giving users more access and control over their personal information housed in the company’s vast databanks.
Similar to the policies in place at Google Health, the Google Data Privacy Center would provide users direct access to the data collected and retained about themselves. They would be able to contest that data’s accuracy and completeness, and have the means to delete incorrect or unwanted data from the logs. Users would be able to control who can access their personal information, and exactly what Google services can collect and user their data. (I might be ok with my Web searches being tracked to help improve relevance of results, but not my activity on Google Book Search.)
What would you suggest Google do better for its users?
[fake logo via LifeHacker]
MichaelZimmer.org 