Amusing email from Google, ostensibly about their "NEW" privacy policy (total bullshit)

Just got an email from G00gle titled "Improvements to our privacy policy."  If you have a Gmail account or use YouTube you probably got this one too.

"Improvements," eh? 

Since I don't trust G00gle--or any other behemoth, regardless of political leanings--I took the time to read the damn thing--and I encourage you to do the same.

The first thing I noticed was that the entire email was devoted to how much Google really, really respects your privacy, and has nothing but your best interests at heart.  And about those so-called "improvements" to their privacy policy? 

The email doesn't tell you a damn thing about the actual "NEW, IMPROVED" policy.

Instead there's a link you can click on that sorta', kinda', more or less vaguely tells you...damn little that's useful.  Here's the pull quote:

Nothing is changing about your current settings or how your information is processed. Rather, we’ve improved the way we describe our practices and how we explain the options you have to update, manage, export, and delete your data. 

So..."nothing is changing...about how your information is processed."  Instead the entire so-called "improvement" is...how they describe their practices and explain those to users.

That's interesting:  The only so-called "improvement" is just a slew of incredibly vague "disclosures" obviously intended to discourage lawsuits for misuse of information stealthily gathered on every single user--stuff you didn't know they were collecting.

For example, if you click on the link to the actual "privacy policy" you see

Information we collect as you use our services

Under this are three sub-heads: 

Your apps, browsers & devices

Your activity; and

Your location information

Interestingly, below the last one--thus ostensibly NOT in the section on "Information we collect as you use our services"--we find a creature called "pixel tags."

Ever heard that term before?  Unless you're an IT tech it's very doubtful.  If you click on the term you see G00gle's "explanation:"

A pixel tag is a type of technology placed on a website or within the body of an email for the purpose of tracking certain activity, such as views of a website or when an email is opened. 

So if you open an email--say, this one from G00gle--they can show you were "constructively aware" of all the info they collect on you.  Which should serve to defeat any class-action lawsuit brought by a million angry users.

Which was the entire purpose of the email.