Google's new privacy policies face the challenge of 36 Attorneys General

Every year, the Federal Trade Commission handles more than a million complaints from consumers and businesses regarding fraudulent activity such as identity theft, internet service malpractice and credit card fraud. From 2001 to 2010, the number of complaints reported by the FTC increased by more than 300 percent, from 325,519 complaints to 1,339,265. The proliferation of the internet is likely the biggest reason that fraudulent activity has picked up so rapidly. Through phishing scams and spyware, hackers are able to obtain personal information from consumers and sell them off to third parties or use it themselves. Many times this information is used solely to help companies advertise to consumers more effectively, but it also can lead to financial fraud. Recently, Google's CEO Larry Page received a letter from 36 Attorneys General that indicated issues involved with the privacy policy changes posed by the search engine. In the letter, the Attorneys General stated that their offices handle cases of identity theft regularly and the new proposed privacy policy changes pose much more risk to consumers as data would be vulnerable to theft which could lead to increased fraud. The Attorneys further indicated that Android users would be forced to reveal personal details as they wouldn't be able to use the search engine without being logged into their Google account. Martha Coakley, Massachusetts Attorney General, stated separately from the letter that it's a problem that Google won't allow the user to decline the new policy changes. "We are concerned that Google's new policy may threaten the ability of each user to keep certain aspects of their online history private," Coakley said. "The threat of identity theft is everywhere and we want to ensure that Google provides appropriate protection by giving consumers meaningful choices in determining how and when they share their personal information." Both businesses and individuals will be affected by the outcome of Google's new policies, as the search engine may be one of the most information-rich and helpful tools on the internet. A company's or individual's finances may not be directly threatened by Google, but if information is passed to third parties, there's no telling what those entities will do with that information.