First appeared in Information Week
Microsoft wasted little time launching an effort to cash in
on concerns about Google's controversial new privacy policies, under which the
search giant said it would monitor user activity across all of its major Web
services--including YouTube, Gmail, and its namesake search engine.
"The changes Google announced make it harder, not
easier, for people to stay in control of their own information," said
Microsoft chief spokesman Frank Shaw, in a blog entry Wednesday. "We take
a different approach--we work to keep you safe and secure online, to give you
control over your data, and to offer you the choice of saving your information
on your hard drive, in the cloud, or on both."
Shaw said that, in contrast to some versions of Google's
products, Microsoft services like Hotmail and Office 365 don't serve up user
information to advertisers. He also touted Internet Explorer's built-in
tracking protection feature. To further emphasize the point, Microsoft is
running an ad in major newspapers this week that says the company is
"Putting People First."
The ad says Google's changes are "cloaked in language
like 'transparency,' 'simplicity,' and 'consistency'" but in fact are
"really about one thing: making it easier for Google to connect the dots
between everything you search, send, say, or stream while using one of their
services."
The hubbub arose last week, after a Google exec announced
the changes in a blog post. "Our new privacy policy makes clear that, if
you're signed in, we may combine information you've provided from one service
with information from other services," said Alma Whitten, Google's
director of privacy, product, and engineering.
"In short, we'll treat you as a single user across all
our products, which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google
experience," said Whitten. Google said the changes would go into effect
"in just over a month."
Google insists the revamp will benefit users by making its
services more efficient. For instance, a search on "German
restaurants" would yield results not just from the Web, but from Google+
posts or Gmail messages.
But critics, including key lawmakers, fear the changes could
put users' privacy at risk. "It is imperative that users will be able to
decide whether they want their information shared across the spectrum of
Google's offerings," said Edward Markey (D-Mass.), in a statement.
Microsoft is hoping the controversy will lure users to its
online services, including Bing search, most of which lag well behind Google in
user numbers and market share. "If [Google's] changes rub you the wrong
way, please consider using our portfolio of award-winning products and
services," the company said in its newspaper ad.
