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Google has introduced simpler privacy settings for its users. This while the company is trying to deal with problems which it has with a lack of ethnic diversity among its work force. It is mostly comprised of white and Asian men.
The world’s biggest search engine and one of its tech titans says that in the past year 21% of its new hires were women. That is still well below the 50% that women constitute in the general population, but women worldwide are much less likely to pursue careers in computers and engineering.
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So can Google be blamed for having a low number of women employees? And what of ethnic minorities in the U.S.? Can the same be said of them?
The company just posted a statement saying, ”last month, we shared our long term strategy for improving diversity at Google and across the industry. We’re encouraged that this important issue is now being discussed openly – including at events and conferences like the recent Code Conference and our own Google I/O conference. But it’s fair to ask: have we seen improvement since we first released our workforce demographics publicly last year?
“Today, we updated google.com/diversity with the composition of our workforce and provide a window into our efforts. Though we still have a long way to go, we’re seeing some early progress.”
While Black and Hispanic people make up just 2 percent and 3 percent of the company, the increases in their hiring was greater than the company’s overall hiring.
As for your privacy settings on Google, its “My Account” hub where all of Google’s key privacy controls can be found had a number of new features added to it this week by the company. Users can also get a break down of which of the company’s various services are gathering information about them. A new site will also address a variety of issues in a question-and-answer format.
My Account gives users access to the settings and tools that help you safeguard your data, protect your privacy, and decide what information is used to make Google services work better for you. It also provides more context to help users understand your options and make the right choices for you, the company asserts.
Nancy Lee, Google’s vice president of people operations, told AP, “Early indications show promise, but we know that with an organization our size, year-on-year growth and meaningful change is going to take time.”
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Guemmy Kim, Product Manager, Account Controls and Settings at Google, wrote in a blog post, “We listen to feedback from people around the world to better understand their concerns about privacy and security. In addition to My Account, we want to help people find answers to common questions on these topics, such as: “What data does Google collect? What does Google do with the data it collects? What tools do I have to control my Google experience?”
“Our new site, privacy.google.com, candidly answers these questions, and more. We also explain how we show relevant ads without selling your personal information, how encryption and spam filtering help keep your data safe, and how your information helps customize your experience on Google. Visit this site often to learn about new tools, features, and information that can help you make the choices that are right for you.”
