Google in privacy policy changes across its services

Google has changed its privacy policy, streaming it across its multiple services including search, email, video and social networking sites.

The company said More than 60 different policies will be combined into one that will go into effect 1 March. Google said the new policy will give people more relevant search results and help advertisers find customers. According to BBC Google has previously faced criticism over the sharing of user’s data. The single privacy policy will apply to Google search, Gmail, YouTube and Google+, its social networking site. The main change applies to users who have Google accounts. The revision comes after Google's previous attempt at social networking, Buzz, was shut down. The company was criticised for inadvertently revealing users' most e-mailed contacts to other participants through the Buzz platform. Last year, Google and the Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement to prevent Google from misrepresenting how it uses personal information and from sharing a user's data without approval. Google said it had been in touch with regulators over these latest changes to its privacy policy, which will apply globally. (BBC)