[quitit]

Similarly Google (and Facebook) moved to a combined privacy policy - it effectively grants permission for all services to collect all types of data, including data you wouldn't expect each service to be collecting. All while using examples that mislead the user into thinking such data collection is limited.

For example, if one reads the Privacy clause regarding collection of financial/transactional information they might assume that this is due to Google Pay, what they'd be missing is that even services such as Gmail, Maps and Photos are also collecting financial data. As mentioned, where examples exist in the policy, they always paint a more obvious, narrower collection of data.

According to Google's own admissions on the App Store, their services such as Maps, Photos and Gmail each individually collect location, financial history, purchases, contacts, user content such as photos, videos, audio (and any others), search history, amongst other personal data. The majority of this data has no bearing on the apps functionality whatsoever and comparable services don't collect -any- of this information.

[jkubicek]

> even services such as Gmail, Maps and Photos are also collecting financial data.

Do you know how this would work? How would Google Maps collect financial data on me?

[jonas21]

Maps and Photos let you enter your credit card info to buy stuff in the app (you can order food in Maps and prints in Photos).

This is not unusual. Every app that offers food delivery or prints lists "financial info" on their App Store privacy label. And if you drill down into the details, it's specifically payment information.

As far as I can tell, the Gmail app does not collect financial info (it's not in the App Store privacy label).

[ChuckMcM]

The gmail app collects purchase receipts that come to your email account. (or at least it used too).

[ehPReth]

I believe this is why Amazon no longer includes what you bought in their order status (confirmation, shipped, delivered) emails (an annoying change, imo)

[happytiger]

Absolutely annoying but totally important.

They also wanted to eliminate the receipt brokering businesses. A couple of companies were tracking purchases and allowing users to call for refunds when prices suddenly dropped after purchase.

Good comment!

[tyzoid]

Ever searched for hotels by filtering on price via maps?

[m463]

Even just your zip code is a huge financial predictor.

[choppaface]

This was a primary goal of Google Plus: empower cookie / fingerprint joining. Even if Plus were to fail they’d still be able to harvest gmail and youtube for everything else.

[quitit]

To me it didn't seem a co-incidence that Google Plus was canned once Apple implemented their enhanced privacy features in Safari.

Google can already track you website to website with Chrome (e.g. shared browser history, amongst other methods), but on Safari per-site tracking such as how the Like and +1 buttons worked was needed.

[EMIRELADERO]

Is that privacy policy also present in the EU? This screams GDPR violation.