Because they don't make money if you have decent privacy settings.
Found this confusing language in personal Gmail account update today.
The intro paragraph says "You agree to let Google Workspace use your Workspace content and activity to personalize your experience across Workspace". And only then they present with the options - whether to turn the special features on or off.
It reads like you're agreeing to the data use regardless of whether you actually enable the features. The detailed documentation suggests data is only used when features are enabled, but that opening sentence creates blanket consent language.
Is this intentionally misleading UX copy, or just sloppy writing that creates legal ambiguity?
19 comments
Because they don't make money if you have decent privacy settings.
At this stage I have no idea what Google is or isn't using for what purpose. Which presumably is the point.
Thankfully all my stuff is on own domains so will just move it to a more respectable provider
I'm reminded of video games where an NPC asks "Will you undertake this perilous quest?" or whatever, and the available responses are "Yes" and "Sure".
"Yes" or "Ask me again later" is a common Microsoft pattern. "No" is not even an option.
I get that when my work Mac wants to nag me about Apple Intelligence, which it does on every OS update.
I can't see what you're talking about. In my account, in the General tab of Gmail settings on the web, under "Manage Workspace smart feature settings", I see a toggle for "Smart features in Google Workspace", followed by this paragraph:
>When you turn this setting on, you agree to let Google Workspace use your Workspace content and activity to personalize your experience across Workspace. Workspace includes apps for businesses and schools, such as Gmail, Chat, Meet, Drive, and more. To learn more, visit the Workspace website. Smart features include:
The setting for the listed features is above the "you agree to let Google Workspace use your Workspace content and activity to personalize your experience across Workspace" intro, not below. The setting below is for features in non-Workspace services.
So this appeared in a popup upon login. I could either select on or off and click next or stop using the site.
Has Anyone Really Been Far Even as Decided to Use Even Go Want to do Look More Like?
Sorry for the jab but I couldn't decode the question here.
I had the same issue, which is somewhat ironic given the topic. Reading the body text and then revisiting the headline:
"Why does Google word their privacy settings in a way that makes it sound like you are agreeing to let them harvest your data regardless of which option you select?"
I understand it is confusing and obfuscated.
“Default on, or opt-out” is not news.
Ignore the downvotes. It wasn't a syntactic headline.
> Google began by unilaterally declaring that the world wide web was its to take for its search engine. Surveillance capitalism originated in a second declaration that claimed our private experience for its revenues that flow from telling and selling our fortunes to other businesses. In both cases, it took without asking
From "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism" -- source https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/20/shoshana-..."
Based on other settings in Chrome, Android etc I think they’re written to be deliberately unclear
All these things will have been through a legal review so I don’t think it’s carelessness
Because they switched to being evil?
So that you accidentally agree due to being confused. It was deliberately worded that way.
Google has a long history of using dark patterns in their privacy settings to mislead users. There's a reason all the privacy settings for Google products are in scattered locations and have vague and ambiguous descriptions as to exactly what data is being gathered.
this is presenting a question as an imperative, a known hypnotism/manipulation technique. in other words google is taking an optional choice and masking it in a commanding voice - unless your brain is actively and consciously questioning the input it is recieving , it is liable to process the command without question , and unthinkingly answer 'yes'. almost like an SQL injection, in that data can be interpreted as logic. this makes my stomach turn.
Because assault culture is alive and well at Google and they’d like to gaslight you into consent.