Caution To Android Users
The Android Market is owned and operated by Google, Inc. and all Android phones use a Google product to connect to the web. The new Terms of Service for Android users will allow Google access to your entire phone, including the apps you use.
Android users who do not accept the new TOS will still be able to make phone calls, browse the Web and use applications installed prior to March 1, 2011, but they will not be able to use Gmail, chat functions or download new apps, or use apps that connect to the web (i.e., Pandora, YouTube or any other applications from the Android Marketplace.)
Google will use information collected about Android users based on what they do with their phones - not just what they do on the web. (Note, Android is not the only privacy violator, Sprint has been collecting keystrokes made on cell phones for quite some time now.)
Google has always collected this information about Android users, but the new TOS require users to allow Google to use information about them in new ways.
Caution To Those Interested In Search Engine Optimization
If you understand even the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) you can already see how this will impact SEO. People will see entirely different Google search results depending upon whether or not they are logged into any Google account.
Mobile devices represent the fastest growing market for online businesses. Now, at least the Android crowd (which ranks in the millions) will be almost impossible to target with SEO. Because most Android users remain logged into the web in order to use apps, chat, or email, you will no longer be able to mass target Android users in say, Lexington, Kentucky who are interested in pet sitting services. That is because all the Android users in Lexington, KY will have had different online habits from each other.
You will also no longer be able to mass target a specific keyword with any predictability based on raw data. You will have no reliable method of using analytical or other data to tap into the market of users signed into Google. And that is just what Google wants.
By taking web marketing tools out the hands of business owners, it puts them at the mercy of Google now more than ever. It may very well be in the near future that if you want to show up in Google you will have to pay them for data (that used to be free in their analytics reports) or resort to ads and pay-per-click.
The down side is that I sincerely doubt, even with all that data that has been collected about you, that Google knows you as well as they think they do.
How To Get Around Google's New Terms of Service
You really cannot get out of accepting Google's new TOS unless you are willing to give up all your Google accounts, but there are some ways you can still control some aspects of Google search results:
- Opt Out: You can opt out and use another search engine. Trouble is, if you opt out all your Google accounts will be cancelled - say good-bye to YouTube, Google Docs, Google Groups, Blogger, and more than one hundred other Google-owned things you may be using that you did not know were owned by Google (like, Picasa.)
- Use Google Chrome: For now, Google Chrome users will be exempt from accepting the new Terms of Service but you still have to have a Google account if you want anything but just the use of their search engine.)
- Log Out Of Your Accounts: Always log out of all your Google accounts before surfing the web. This will change the results you see because Google will not use your account data to process search results. This may give you better results simply because the surfing habits of your connections will not be factored in. Google will still collect data as soon as you log into an account, but for now, at least, search results will only be altered if you are logged in while surfing the web.
- Create Multiple User Accounts: Now more than ever, it is important to separate your business from your personal online experiences. You may need to have more than one account so that Google does not confuse you with your business or your kids' interests.
- Share Your Opinions: Let Google know what you think about their new Terms of Service. Contact Google
