Protect your privacy: How to opt your account out of Google’s shared endorsements program

A widespread brouhaha recently erupted following Google’s latest update to its Terms of Services. The point of contention: the company’s announcement that it’ll be using the profile names and photos of its users next to advertisements and reviews on its result pages. 

The new feature will go into effect on November 11 and it’s called “Shared Endorsements.” Basically, it will share your recommendations, whether it’s a restaurant you rated via Google Maps, or a company you +1’d on Google Play, with all of your connections when they “Google” something similar.

The controversy is specifically centered on the company’s use of its users’ likenesses to promote sponsored links without the individuals' explicit consent. If this sounds all too familiar, it’s because Facebook attempted the same sort of marketing gimmick in the past, and failed miserably at it. 

Also at issue is the fact that old comments posted within one online community, say, from one person to a group of his / her friends on Google+, are now being re-used in an entirely different context.

The majority of the backlash Facebook experienced had to do with the fact that they made updating individual privacy settings incredibly complicated — many a hurdle had to be cleared before getting to the page where the user could opt out of the program.

Thankfully, Google learned from Facebook’s mistake, and made opting out of their endorsement program an easy two-step process.

Step 1: Access your setting
If you have a Google e-mail address, you have a Google+ account. To access the Shared Endorsements setting page, go to Google+ and click “Settings” in the toolbar on the left. 

Next to “Shared Endorsements”, click “Edit”.

Step 2: Uncheck the Shared Endorsements box
Scroll down the page to find the box that allows Google to legally use your likeness in shared endorsements and uncheck it. Once that’s done, click “Save.” 

Believe it or not, that’s all there is to it. Follow these two steps and you will have successfully opted out of Google’s Shared Endorsements feature.

Story via: eff.org