Toolbar Privacy Policy

Introduction

We understand and respect that you are concerned about your privacy. That's why we want you to know that if you choose to enable the Google Toolbar's advanced features (e.g., viewing the PageRank of web pages), the URLs of the sites you visit will automatically be forwarded to Google. The purpose of our Toolbar Privacy Policy is to inform you of this process, explain the type of information Google is collecting, and explain how you can enable or disable the advanced functionality.

Overview

Google is committed to helping its users ensure their privacy.
Google may collect information about web pages that you are viewing when the advanced functionality is enabled. However, this advanced functionality is optional, and can be easily disabled and re-enabled at any time (by selecting "Privacy Information..." in the Toolbar's "Google" menu.)
You will know the advanced functionality is enabled when the PageRank meter is visible on your Google Toolbar.

Google only collects the normal type of information that is already available to the websites you visit. This means, Google cannot collect, for example, your name, email address, telephone number, etc.
Google will not sell or provide personally identifiable information to any third parties.
Google will notify you if it changes these policies and will give you the opportunity to discontinue using the Google Toolbar.

More Information

Periodically, the Google Toolbar contacts our servers to see if you are running the most current version. If necessary, we will automatically provide you with the latest update to the Google Toolbar.

Some features available on the Google Toolbar can enhance your search and browsing experience, but may require that we have some understanding of the web pages that you are viewing. For example, by knowing which web page you are viewing, the PageRank feature of Google Toolbar can show you Google's ranking of that web page. Google can also use this information about the pages you have viewed to improve functionality or quality, or add new features.

We believe these features will greatly enhance your browsing experience. We understand, however, you may not agree that the benefits provided by these features outweigh the information we must collect. For this reason, we provide you the opportunity to disable these features on the Privacy Information page (accessed by selecting "Privacy Information..." in the Toolbar's "Google" menu). With the advanced features disabled, no information about the page you are viewing will be sent to Google unless you explicitly request more information about that page (such as with the "Cached Snapshot", "Backward Links" or "Similar Pages" features).

We hope you find the Toolbar Privacy Policy useful in understanding why certain information is used to improve your search and browsing experience. If you have any questions or comments about the Google Toolbar and your privacy, please contact us at toolbar-feedback@google.com.

For more information about Google's full privacy policy, click here.