Google privacy policy does not violate settlement with US regulators

Internet search giant Google has claimed that the upcoming changes in its privacy policy do not violate a settlement it struck with US consumer protection agency last year.

Google told the Federal Trade Commission in a self-assessment report that the new policy is fully in compliance with the company's settlement with the federal government.

The report, obtained by Politico Friday, said that Google has gone to "exceptional lengths" to tell its users what data it harvests and what it does with it, The Los Angeles Times reports.

Google settled charges in 2011 that it violated privacy laws by exposing Gmail users' personal information when rolling out its now-defunct Google Buzz social networking service.

The breach prompted an angry backlash from consumers and privacy advocates who said the company disclosed personal information without their knowledge or consent.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a consumer watchdog group, filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday against the FTC in a bid to stop Google from rolling out a new privacy policy that it says violates the FTC settlement.

Google recently began alerting users all over the world that beginning March 1 it will share data it collects from users across its dozens of services.

The company says that only users who are logged into Google will be affected.