Google+ Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

I never really thought about how social networking applications used my information until the hubaloo over Google's new privacy policy.  For kicks, I checked it out and discovered Google will mostly use my information for benign purposes such as to "provide, maintain, protect and improve them [services], to develop new ones, and to protect Google and our users. We also use this information to offer you tailored content – like giving you more relevant search results and ads."  They'll also keep track of any name changes and update my name across all Google services in order to maintain 'consistency'.  They also collect information gathered from cookies to 'improve user experience' such as ensuring my preferred language is English no matter which Google service I use.

The trouble with all of this is that one never really knows the totality of use of personal information provided when signing up for Google+ or any other social networking application.  If it will generate more revenue, it seems social networks will use your information to the max with or without your permission.  With any luck, users will be able to harness the power of social networks to keep the social networks on the up and up!