Google to Update Terms of Services to Improve Readability
An update to Google’s Terms of Service is about to happen on March 31, 2020. No changes are being made to the Privacy Policy of Google; however, the update is aiming at providing “improved readability” and “better communication.”
Apart from this, Chrome, Chrome OS, and Google Drive will be added to the Terms of Service now. Google-owned YouTube also updated its ToS last year.
Google users are already being alerted about this planned update. Many users when visiting Google Search recently, are able to see a blue banner on the top of the Google Search page, which is notifying users about the upcoming changes.
The message appearing on top of the Google Search page reads, “We’re updating our Terms of Service. Get to know our new Terms before they take effect on March 31, 2020.” The message also prompts users to “Review” the policies or confirm it by clicking “Got it.”
Many are also receiving emails from Google about the upcoming update. Google has summarized the changes that would come into effect from March 31, 2020, in bullet points.
The updated ToS includes newer sections now that have increased the total sections up to 18 in number. Google has added links to provide more clarification for each point.
Google has also updated the FAQ section at the bottom of the page, where Google explains how they are making efforts to improve the regulations and simplify communication with its users.
When it comes to “improved readability,” Google says, “We have tried our best to simplify the legal document to make it fairly understandable.” The Search Engine giant said that they have added useful links wherever applicable and also defined the terms with more clarity.
Also Read: Google Tells Samsung to Stop Making Changes in Android
When it comes to “better communication,” Google said that they have made it more clear as to when they are about to make significant changes to their services like adding or removing a feature. They will also notify users when they are going to restrict or end a user’s access. Going forward, Google will also take more initiative to notify users about certain changes regarding their services that may negatively impact the user experience.
Google is not updating the Privacy Policy at the moment. Users can go through the existing Privacy Policy from their Google Account. They can also look at the applied privacy settings and see how their data is being utilized by Google.
Including Google Chrome, Google Chrome OS, and Google Drive to Google’s ToS will help users understand what’s unique about those services. The service-specific terms and policies clearly define what these services are about and help users comprehend the general terms.
The inclusion of Google Chrome, Chrome OS and Drive means that these products will now be regulated by Google’s overall ToS. However, they will also continue abiding by their own service-specific terms and policies.
Another kind of alert that users are receiving from Google these days is when they are accessing the Chrome Web Store from the new Microsoft Edge browser to install browser extensions.
The company warns users that they should use the Google Chrome browser instead of the Microsoft Edge browser to use the extensions securely. However, this warning message doesn’t appear when users are accessing the Chrome Web Store from other Chromium-based browsers.
