【听新闻练听力】Examining Google's privacy policy

>>> today is a big day at google. the search engine that long ago became a verb, google is now operating under a new privacy policy that can gather a whole lot of data about you and keep it. that makes some google users uneasy. nbc's mike taibbi has more on what this means and how to say "no."

>> reporter: google has always collected information about users who register for its more than 60 products, from g-mail, youtube, android phones and its social networking site. but now, all that information will be in one place.

>> it makes google able to provide services to users to allow their information that they've trusted google with to deliver better services for them.

>> reporter: the other goal, more precisely targeted advertising.

>> improving the relevance of that advertising is going to be helpful to the user and improve their experience of the product.

>> reporter: and profitable to google and profitable to the advertiser?

>> certainly.

>> reporter: google's manager for trust and safety has been advising users to, well, continue to trust google.

>> we don't collect personal information or share it with others without your permission.

>> reporter: but there are skeptics, worried that hackers and identity thieves might now try for one-stop access to everything google knows about you.

>> feel like there's no boundaries.

>> reporter: the attorneys general from 37 states and territories warn the new policy would force consumers to allow their information to be shared without giving them the proper ability to opt out. since the midnight deadline to clear your history has passed, what can you do now? you can use non- google websites and search engines, use google's history page from now on to clear your history, though most users won't go to the trouble.

>> given a choice between convenience and privacy, consumers always pick the convenience.

>> reporter: or you can use sites like youtube without registering.

>> it remains anonymous and will not be associated with you as an individual or with your google account.

>> reporter: with information from all your google accounts in one place --

>> let's say my son plays little league--

>> reporter: getting directions to your kid's little league team and sharing it with the whole team might be followed by a google alert that you're running late and should try another route.

>> i find that a little creepy. that's not what i want google to be providing me, with that kind of information.

>> reporter: or final option, you could go back to maps and books and those things called letters. mike taibbi, nbc news, mountain view, california.

>> and by the way, for a step-by-step guide to how you can limit the data that google collects and saves about you while you search, you can find that on our website, nbcnightlynews.com.