"don't be evil" - a primer for google+ terms of service

"Don't Be Evil"

A primer for Google+ Terms of Service

(Code of Conduct, n.d.)

User Content and Conduct

First off:

(Google Terms of Service, 2012)

(Google Terms of Service, 2012)

Is nothing...

· Illegal activities· Transmission of viruses (and other malicious programs)· Discrimination and bullying· Distribution of personal information of others· Account hijacking, impersonation and spam· Sexually explicit material· Marketing regulated or prohibited products & services

(User Content and Conduct Policy, n.d.)

(Google Terms of Service, 2012)

Whilst you still retain ownership of any Intellectual Property rights over content that is yours, when you publish your content via Google+, you grant Google a certain licence to use that content.

(Google Terms of Service, 2012)

This licence allows Google to store, modify and/or republish your content through any of their services.

(Google Terms of Service, 2012)

This license continues even after you have

stopped using their services.

(Google Terms of Service, 2012)

Don't put it on Google+

if you post content to Google+ which is copyright protected material,

and you do not have the necessary permissions to use it

(Google Terms of Service, 2012)

Google refers to the U.S. Digital Millenium Copyright Act

(Google Terms of Service, 2012)

Don't put it on Google+

Privacy

· Information you give them· Information they get from your use of their services

(Privacy Policy, 2012)

Information you give them includes anything you supply when creating an account or profile

For example: name, age, gender, email, phone number, credit card

(Privacy Policy, 2012)

Information given to Google when creating an account, is now used for consolidating profiles.

This would mean that to use Google+, you have to create a profile based on actual information about yourself

Thus preventing users from misrepresenting themselves

(which is against Google's TOS anyway)

(Watchdogs Criticize New Google Privacy Policy, 2012)

The device/platform you are using,

Your location at time of use

Any outside destinations you have come from/are going to from Google

(Privacy Policy, 2012)

If you happen to call a number provided by a Google service

(Privacy Policy, 2012)

However...

● They are legally required to do so● Your account is managed by an

administrator who is not you● They need to externally process

data (in which case Google's policy is still in effect)

● You give them consent

(Privacy Policy, 2012)

aside from any legal requirements for the release of information,

the consent of a user for the release of information is essential, otherwise Google may not retrieve or use personal information

This is due, in part, to an incident in a previous social network attempt by Google called Google Buzz, launched in 2010.

After it became known that Google was pulling

data from Gmail accounts without user

consent, Google was subjected to

independent audits every 2 years for the next 20 years, and a condition that they

require consent before sharing user information

(Ovadia, 2011)

may be used however Google wants

(Privacy Policy, 2012)

Further Google+ Specific Terms

a video chat service

(Google+ Hangouts On Air - additional terms, n.d.)

In practice, this means that if anybody is providing content in a Hangout that goes against any of the Terms of Service...

(Google+ Hangouts On Air - additional terms, n.d.)

You must be over the legal age of majority in the country you live in, or over 18 (whichever is higher) to make a Page

you must also be the owner, or an agent of the owner of whoever or whatever the Page is for

(Services for Verified Google+ Page Owner - additional terms, n.d.)

(Google+ Pages Contest and Promotion Policies, n.d.)

You may have a link to a promotion on your Page, but it

be run at an outside site

(Google+ Pages Contest and Promotion Policies, n.d.)

Finally...

Google may change any of the Terms or policies related to Google+ at any time,

however they may give you notice before they do so

(Google Terms of Service, 2012)

If any changes are significant enough to warrant noticing users,

Google will send or post a notice through one or more of their

services

if the changes are NOT significant...

(Google Terms of Service, 2012)

Whilst Google does try to be transparent regarding its use of your data, and the types of content and

conduct it allows

You should always be aware of Google's responsibilities in regards to your use of its services,

as well as your own responsibilities as to

how you may use their services

"Don't be Evil"

(Code of Conduct, n.d.)

References

Code of Conduct. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://investor.google.com/corporate/code-of-conduct.html

Google Terms of Service. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.google.com.au/intl/en/policies/terms/regional.html

Google+ Hangouts On Air – additional terms. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/+/policy/hangoutsonair.html

References cont.

Google+ Pages Contest and Promotion Policies. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/+/policy/pagescontestpolicy.html

Ovadia, S. (2011). An Early Introduction to the Google+ Social Networking Project. Behavioural & Social Sciences Librarian, 30(4). doi: 10.1080/01639269.2011.622258

Privacy Policy. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.google.com.au/intl/en/policies/privacy/

References cont.

Services for Verified Google+ Page Owner – Additional Terms. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/+/policy/pages-services.html

Watchdogs Criticize New Google Privacy Policy. (2012). Information Management Journal, 46(3). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/docview/1019286409/1391422C8075FA33F06/35?accountid=10382

References cont.

User Content and Conduct Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/+/policy/content.html