In order to comply with the new European law on digital markets, Google has announced that it will be adapting its methods of collecting and processing data. The new law is set to begin on March 6, 2024. As part of these changes, Google is giving users in the European Union the option to choose whether they want to maintain a connection between certain Google services.
The innovations will allow EU residents to limit the processing of their personal data in various Google services such as YouTube, company advertising services, Play Market, Chrome, Google purchases, and Google cards.
However, it is important for users to be aware that restricting access to their data may impact the functionality of some services. For example, if data collection is blocked in YouTube and Chrome, personalized recommendations will be lost. Additionally, Google will no longer have access to previous user activities for personalized experiences.
Google explained in a blog post, “When these services are connected, they can exchange your data with each other and other Google services for certain purposes. Any types of data described in the Google privacy policy can be transmitted between related Google services, including history of actions saved when logged into your account. This may include information about your searches, watched videos, or listened audio.”
Users will have the ability to independently configure the list of services that can exchange data. Google clarified that the connection between Google services does not involve the transfer of data to third-party products or companies. All data interactions will be within the Google ecosystem and in accordance with their privacy policy.
The new settings regarding the connection between services will go into effect on March 6, 2024. Users will have the flexibility to review and change the list of related services at any time according to their preferences.