Developments related to Google privacy initiative

The Associated Press

Some developments related to Google Inc.'s new privacy initiative:

Jan. 24: Google announces a plan to link user data across its email, video, social-networking and other services. The company says the move will simplify its privacy policy, improve the user experience and help advertisers find customers more easily, especially on mobile devices. Critics raise privacy concerns. The plan is to take effect March 1.

Feb. 1: Rival Microsoft Corp. runs full-page newspaper ads slamming Google and its new policy. Microsoft uses the opportunity to tout its own Web-based alternatives, saying for instance that users of its free email service, Hotmail, don't have to worry about the content of their emails being used to help target ads.

Feb. 3: The European Union's data protection authorities release a letter to Google asking the company to delay the new policy until they have verified that it doesn't break the bloc's data protection laws. Google says it had briefed data protection agencies beforehand and had heard no substantial concerns then.

Wednesday: A consumer watchdog group sues the Federal Trade Commission in an attempt to prevent Google from making its planned changes. The Electronic Privacy Information Center contends Google's new policies would violate restrictions imposed in an agreement reached with the FTC last year.

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February 08, 2012 07:46 PM EST

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