Transparency of Google Privacy

Google is involved so much of the computing work I do there is a natural worry about how private our interactions with Google are. To what extent have I opted in to complex use of my data? A recent conversation with a colleague who asked how I could let Google manage so many of my important computing tasks brought home the issue of privacy. Do we really understand how each element of data can be used, both alone and in concert with other data, both what I provide and what other sources Google may use? Today I discovered in the Google Blog that Google is attempting to be more transparent about the privacy issue. Have not explored what they are saying, but will do so.