Privacy Policies

orkut Privacy Notice

November 6, 2006

The Google Privacy Policy describes how we treat personal information when you use Google's products and services, including information provided when you use orkut. In addition, the following describes our privacy practices that are specific to orkut. If you are using Google Talk in conjunction with orkut, please refer to the Google Talk Privacy Notice for information about our privacy practices that are specific to Talk.

Personal information

* You need a Google Account to use orkut. Google asks for some personal information when you create a Google Account, including your email address and a password, which is used to protect your account from unauthorized access. A Google Account allows you to access many of our services that require registration.
* As an orkut member, you can create a profile or orkut community that includes personal information, such as your gender, age, occupation, hobbies, and interests, plus other content, such as photos. This information may be accessed and viewed by other orkut members.
* When you invite new members into your network or send messages through orkut, we collect and maintain information associated with those messages, including email addresses and content.
* When you send and receive SMS messages to or from the orkut website, we collect and maintain information associated with those messages, such as the phone number, the wireless carrier associated with the phone number, the content of the message, and the date and time of the transaction.

Uses

* Google maintains and processes your personal information in order to provide your orkut account and access. Your profile information is displayed according to the preferences you set in your account.
* When you send messages through orkut, your name and email address will be identified in the message. We also use your name and email address to notify you of new members, messages, or other information, such as invitations to join friends' networks, new testimonials or "fan" ratings, and crush notices.
* When you send and receive SMS messages to or from the orkut website, we use the data we collect to operate, develop and improve our services. Our third party providers also may collect data about your SMS usage in order to provide the service. In addition, your wireless carrier collects data about your SMS usage. Their practices are governed by their own privacy policies.
* If you invite another person to join orkut, we use the name and email address you provide us to contact that person and, if necessary, remind that person that he or she has been invited to join orkut. All invitees are given the option not to receive further invitations from orkut.

Your choices

* provides a number of tools to restrict who can view your profile and other personal information. When you create your profile, look for the "golden key" icon, which allows you to limit viewing certain information to yourself, your friends, friends of friends, or to make the information available to all orkut members.
* You can update your profile information at any time by clicking on the "edit" button in your profile setting.
* Messages you receive from orkut can be sent to your primary email address or orkut inbox, depending on the preferences you choose in the "my settings" page.
* You can terminate your account at any time. To learn how, click here. If you terminate your account, your profile, including any messages in your inbox, will be removed from the site and deleted from orkut servers. Because of the way we maintain this service such deletion may not be immediate, and residual copies of your profile information may remain on backup media.

More information

Google adheres to the US Safe Harbor privacy principles. For more information about the Safe Harbor framework or our registration, see the Department of Commerce's web site.

Further information about orkut is available here.

For more information about our privacy practices, go to the full privacy policy. If you have additional questions, please contact us any time. Or write to us at:

Privacy Matters
c/o Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View CA 94043 (USA)