Google CEO Sundar Pichai: Will never sell any personal info to 3rd parties
Google CEO Sundar Pichai, amidst growing global concern over the misuse of personal data by some social media giants, said the search giant will never sell any personal information of its users to third parties. He also said that privacy cannot be a "luxury good" that is only available to people who can afford to buy premium products and services. he penned his thoughts in an opinion piece in The New York Times on Tuesday. He noted that privacy was personal, which makes it even more vital for companies to give people clear, individual choices around how their data is used. Here is what he said:
''Privacy must be equally available''
"Our mission compels us to take the same approach to privacy. For us, that means privacy cannot be a luxury good offered only to people who can afford to buy premium products and services. Privacy must be equally available to everyone in the world," Pichai underlined. (Image: Reuters)
"One of the most important topics of our time"
The CEO of Google said he believed that privacy was "one of the most important topics of our time." People today are rightly concerned about how their information is used and shared, yet they all define privacy in their own ways, he said. (Image: Reuters)
''Google will never sell any personal information''
"To make privacy real, we give you clear, meaningful choices around your data. All while staying true to two unequivocal policies: that Google will never sell any personal information to third parties; and that you get to decide how your information is used," Pichai said. (Image: Reuters)
''Privacy a reality - for everyone''
He said Google has worked hard to continually earn people's trust by providing accurate answers and keeping their questions private. "We've stayed focused on the products and features that make privacy a reality - for everyone," he said in the opinion piece. (Image: Reuters)
''Two-factor authentication''
"And to protect your data from security threats, we just introduced a security key built into Android phones that can provide two-factor authentication," he concluded. (Image: Reuters)
YouTube Premium
He noted that even in cases where Google offered a paid product like YouTube Premium, which includes an ads-free experience, the regular version of YouTube has plenty of privacy controls built in. (Image: Reuters)