This is strange. Google in the US is spending tens of millions on a print and outdoor advertising campaign to alleviate privacy concerns. Google, advertising in print? Times have changed.
The ‘Good to Know’ campaign offers tips and advice to people on what data they should share with Google and other websites and social networks.
The new campaign is most likely in response to concerns about its new ‘Search plus Your World’ feature on its search engine. The new feature has caused a fair amount of public anxiety stateside as people realise their information, photos and updates from their Google+ account may now be easily found on Google search.
Search plus Your World blends Google+ information with Google search results, much in the same way people’s Facebook updates are blended with search results on Microsoft’s Bing search engine.
As with any new Google feature that involves ‘private’ information, there is bound to be opposition and public scrutiny. Google’s previous social network, Buzz, failed because Google didn’t respond quickly enough to users’ privacy concerns. Google later admitted it had violated its own privacy policies when it introduced Buzz.
The multi-million dollar ‘Good to Know’ ad campaign is also being rolled out at a time when Google is facing increasing regulatory battles in the US.
