Email from Google

A friend has received an email purporting to be from Google entitled Changes to Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. As far as he knows he has only, and does only, use Google for searching.

It's addressed to his ISP related email box so how have they got his email address? Why would he need to know changes to privacy and security when he only uses Google for searching? Are Google now going into the spam business?

Anyone seen this and/or has views on it?

There's certainly a change in policy by Google - see this article on The Register for some more details.

Haven't seen any email from Google personally - check the headers and the target of any links (and probably safest just to have a policy of not following links in emails anyway). If it looks legit your friend must have typed his email address somewhere into one of Google's services. If not maybe the phishing scams have started to use this already?

Edited by mr_bean (Thu 26-Jan-12 15:08:37)

Received this email myself, gist of it follows. Can't say i'm really bothered one way or the other!

Dear Google user,

We're getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that's a lot shorter and easier to read. Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.

We believe this stuff matters, so please take a few minutes to read our updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Service at http://www.google.com/policies. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2012.


One policy, one Google experience
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Easy to work across Google
Our new policy reflects a single product experience that does what you need, when you want it to. Whether reading an email that reminds you to schedule a family get-together or finding a favorite video that you want to share, we want to ensure you can move across Gmail, Calendar, Search, YouTube, or whatever your life calls for with ease.
Tailored for you
If you're signed into Google, we can do things like suggest search queries � or tailor your search results � based on the interests you've expressed in Google+, Gmail, and YouTube. We'll better understand which version of Pink or Jaguar you're searching for and get you those results faster.
Easy to share and collaborate
When you post or create a document online, you often want others to see and contribute. By remembering the contact information of the people you want to share with, we make it easy for you to share in any Google product or service with minimal clicks and errors.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Protecting your privacy hasn't changed
Our goal is to provide you with as much transparency and choice as possible, through products like Google Dashboard and Ads Preferences Manager, alongside other tools. Our privacy principles remain unchanged. And we'll never sell your personal information or share it without your permission (other than rare circumstances like valid legal requests).
Understand how Google uses your data
If you want to learn more about your data on Google and across the web, including tips and advice for staying safe online, check out http://www.google.com/goodtoknow
Got questions?
We got answers.
Visit our FAQ at http://www.google.com/policies/faq to read more about the changes. (We figured our users might have a question or twenty-two.)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notice of Change
March 1, 2012 is when the new Privacy Policy and Terms will come into effect. If you choose to keep using Google once the change occurs, you will be doing so under the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

He forwarded me the email but I haven't seen the headers. The link targets look ok.

Form the other response it is probably genuine though he and I are puzzled as to how Google has his address. I have 2 gmail accounts but have received nothing along these lines.

I've received the same email- many moons ago I had a play with Google calender, presumably they've remembered my email address from that.

It's very easy to accidentally set up an account on Google, and they never forget you

Edited by billford (Thu 26-Jan-12 15:25:09)

Google know a lot more about you than you think. And the new policy, if it is actually allowed to be applied (which is doubtful) will mean they are going to do a lot more with that information.

You'll get your email in due course.

Got the same as sobranie at 3.35 today, will have a look at the link later tomorrow when I can sit and go through it, Not a dodgy email i guess.

Like bill said, must have put the non google email into something of theirs at some point.

nothing to worry about, or is it. don't get rubbish and spam on it so they are ok I guess.
Get rubbish on the BT email so dropped that and moved everything usefull and people that matter be told to use google one.

Is a real email as been said by Sobranie

Virgin users ?
See here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/26/google_email...
Regards,
Martin

Good stuff,

Google email everyone.
Still they did get the email addresses by being given,
A bit much though!.

I like it as it goes with the android phone and google locate and emails pushed to the phone straight away.

I have no complains and no silly spam like I now get on the BT one I willdrop and use gmail.

There is no point blaming any ISP for SPAM they only convey the mail to you....and once you start using Google mail I have no doubt that it will not take long for the SPAM to return and your every move will also be fully monitored by Google.
It�s difficult to avoid SPAM no matter how hard you try being careful with your email addresses. Use several email addresses one as a general sacrificial email and one for your privacy to be used only by �known sources�, don�t give your addresses out freely on the web.
We give the ISP�s enough grief without blaming them for SPAM that we caused ourselves�.protect your email addresses use a good email client remember SPAM filters can help but check what they are stopping regularly, and the best of luck with big brother!

Trouble is, every Tom Dick & Harry now ask for email address for no good reason !
I just requested replacement EHIC cards for my family, and not only they ask for it, it even says if it is invalid they may not issue the cards !
Since they now charge £15 for it, that's adding an insult !
So I gave an invalid email addy, see what happens, I can get the money back from the CC !
Regards,
Martin

I think you Googled EHIC and were directed to a site that takes your details and sends them to the relevant site and charges for the privilege. I got renewed cards earlier this year for free.

You were scammed...EHIC cards are still free.

https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/home.do

DARN ! EHIC !
Come to think of it, I even heard of this scam some time ago...,
but I was in a hurry....
In a way his is partly relevant to this thread, as greedy Google let this scammer(s) advertise and put them at the top of the page !
Have tried to apply again via NHS, but apparenty I already have valid card ?
So now the plan is to check with NHS EHIC, to ask if they post it directly to me, instead of the scammers.
Depending on the answer I will then pressurise my credit card lot to re-call the £15 immediately, or when the cards arive.
I will then contact ther Information Commissioner, because the worst of this is the breach of Data Protection:
This scammer(s), now have my and my family full names, DoBs, NI numbers, credit card No.
and phone No., leavings us open to all sorts of further scams.
Furious.
Martin

I don't think it is a scam exactly. They provide a service where they take your details and a fee and you get a card.

I know it's not the same but the passport office does a similar thing. You can pay a fee for the Post Office to check your application. No big deal to double check you own application.

The EHIC cards arrived, directly from NHS.
IT IS A SCAM,
they DO NOTHING except presumably auto forward the details to NHS website.
They can't conceivably do any checking, as they don't have the necessary data to start with.
Or maybe be it's done by hand, there is a typo (L instead of K) on one of the cards.

But, as I said, it's the potential for fraud, that is most worrying.
Regards,
Martin

In reply to a post by cheshire_man:

A friend has received an email purporting to be from Google entitled Changes to Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. As far as he knows he has only, and does only, use Google for searching.

It's addressed to his ISP related email box so how have they got his email address? Why would he need to know changes to privacy and security when he only uses Google for searching? Are Google now going into the spam business?

Anyone seen this and/or has views on it?

Looks like your friend might have a point...

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/372484/google-admits-pri...

You got your cards so where have you been scammed? Surely if it was a scam you wouldn't have received your cards.

If you feel so strongly then talk to CAB, take them to court, inform trading standards and let us know what the outcome is!

His email address is from his ISP, Eclipse (same as me). He has no dealings with Sky, Virgin or anyone else. His only dealings that he is aware of is using Google's search engine.

Google do know my normal email address for proper reasons, they do not know (ok, should not know) my ISP email address. I've received the email to my normal email address but, as yet, not to my ISP one.

I've just thought, I wonder if he's ever nought something on-line and used Google Checkout. Must ask him sometime, if he can remember.

Hello

Just noticed you wrote back, not ignoring you, had not noticed so where the email reply went , who knows.

Was not moaning at BT, I know it is not them. I get links to wholesalers and bulk buying, sometimes just a online shop of the £2 tat you get on ebay.

Guessing some darling chinese person I bought from has done something with it.
Not being rude to our friends in asia, buy from uk as well but to be fair the ebay stuff from china, hong kong has hundreds of sales a day, maybe a bit much but judge by the feedback, they are more likely to sent you what they think are nice web sites. Not using my email address and not said they can.

Might be wrong but guessing or someones server was comprermised somewhere with my details on it.

Have had strange emails from paypal and ebay asking to change passwords as activity might have happened not by me and account hacked.
Wrote and asked what the very general email was and what happened, ignored by both.

OK could have been that or any ebay buy.

Never was blaming the isp of BT I see you have.

Got the new infinity at full 37.5mb speed, nice.

A few emails every now and then not to bad but annoys me when don't know why.

Now use the gmail I had anyway. hours of fun chaning so many accounts for mentions things, amazon, BT , bank, e,ectrical stores, holiday places, you get the idea.
Then contacts so people know. See if the gmail one will last before someone gets it that should not and gives it to all his friends and get the funny viagra emails and other delights, sure we all have!.

I used Google checkout when it first came out.
I have gone into my account and removed all references in it such as address and telephone number. Fortunately there isn't a credit card recorded. I also changed the contact email address to a one off - google@ etc so that I can black hole it if needed

In reply to a post by broadband66:

You got your cards so where have you been scammed? Surely if it was a scam you wouldn't have received your cards.

If you feel so strongly then talk to CAB, take them to court, inform trading standards and let us know what the outcome is!

You are obviously a person who can afford, or doesn't mind, paying £15 for NOTHING,
so pehaps you can send it to me......

And yes, I have raised a 'dispute transaction' with my CC provider and will take it up with ICO who I think may be best placed to deal with it.
Martin

That explains why I got one to why work email address which I'm 100% careful about using online and does not appear in any web searches I've done

Used to access a Google map we have done for work for which access has been restricted

More a rip-off than a scam

Similar happens with CRB checks and similar things

Sorry to mention this but only YOU are to blame . When I searched online for EHIC I too found 2 or 3 sites that charged for the privelage. After delving deeper I found the correct site and didn't get charged.

Surely you can't complain if you pay for something then find you could have got it cheaper or even FOC!