Google is now applying for membership in the Network Advertising Initiative, a group that was formed largely in response to concerns about whether online advertising posed a threat to Web users' privacy. But apparently Google's application has a snag: The company doesn't want to clutter its home page with a link to its privacy policy.
What really tickled me was how Google AdWords considers a link to a privacy policy as an aspect of a landing page's overall quality.
Granted, they claim they don't need a link because their privacy policy is easily found by searching for "Google Privacy Policy" from their home page. However, I don't think they'd give an AdWords customer the same leeway (i.e. find our privacy policy by using site search).
What really tickled me was how Google AdWords considers a link to a privacy policy as an aspect of a landing page's overall quality.
I've wondered for a week now why nobody has mentioned this. I guess the consensus is right or wrong Google pretty well gets away with anything.
That, to me, is what makes Google's stance so incoherent, left hand, right hand sort of thing. Yeah, I know Google is basically a bunch of disparate parts, but it's time for it to grow up and put one corporate policy into place.
