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Google makes privacy policy easier to understand, adds new data controls
July 31, 2025
TheGeneral Data Protection Regulation(GDPR) in Europe is set to take effect in only two weeks. As such, many companies are reformatting or in some cases rewriting their policies to bring them into compliance with the new law.
Even a company as huge asGoogleneeds to work hard to comply, which is why the search engine giant recentlyre-organized its privacy policyto make it easier for the layman to understand. Additionally, there are new features that enable you to take better control of your Google data.
If you visitGoogle’s privacy policy page, you’ll notice it is simple, colorful, and filled with many helpful videos. Google says that “explanatory videos and illustrations” are helpful because they “can be easier to understand than text alone.” Here’s a sample video that goes over why Google collects your data in the first place:
Although the information in the privacy policy is now easier-than-ever to follow, Google wants to make it clear that “nothing is changing about your current settings or how your information is processed.”
Something that did change is how much control you now have over your data. That’s because Google just made itsDownload Your Datatool more comprehensive.
First introduced in 2011, Download Your Data enables you to archive your information from across the Google Suite from apps likeGoogle Photos,Google Drive,Google Calendar,Gmail, etc. You can now download your info from even more Google services (the company does not make it clear which ones exactly) and also schedule periodic downloads.
Additionally, it is going to be easier than ever to transfer your data from one service to another. For example, if you don’t like Gmail anymore and would like to switch hosts, you would have to download your Gmail info and then figure out how to transfer it to another company. Google now hasa GitHub projectwhich aims to make it easy for seamless transfer of your data from Google to another provider.
you’re able to read the newly-formatted Google privacy policyhere, and you can read Google’s statement on the refresh atits blog here.
NEXT:Political scrutiny on Google continues to grow in Europe
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