Google has changed its Terms of Use once again. But, this time you need to pay attention. Just recently, it announced that it will sell user endorsements to advertisers. The New York Times reports:

Google  announced that it would soon be able to show users’ names, photos, ratings and comments in ads across the Web, endorsing marketers’ products. Facebook already runs similar endorsement ads. It, took a step to show personal information more broadly by changing its search settings to make it harder for users to hide from other people trying to find them on the social network.

In other words, Google can pull information from your profiles, preferences, ratings, and posts to include in an endorsement (advertisement). The endorsements will be pulled from all Google stuff like YouTube and even, searches that you do.

What does this mean for you?

If you follow a store on Google+, then Google may pull this information and your profile picture into a paid endorsement. I don’t know about you but this is creepy to me.

The only good thing about this move is that

1. You can opt out (if you actually know to opt out).

Opt Out Here. 

2. Little peeps under 18 are excluded from the endorsement foolery.

The Google changes will happen on November 11. Make sure you opt out soon.

This is another example of why you actually need to pay attention to the terms of use policies on social media – that is exactly where Google buried these changes. True, there is an annoying pop up prompting you to read the changes, but how many actually read it or at least googled for the latest deets?

Creative Geniuses, “like” responsibly, engage authentically, and use social media intelligently.

Your business may depend on it.