As tech bloggers gawked at Apple's record high earnings report, Google quietly announced that some changes to its privacy policy would kick into effect on March 1 and users will not be able to opt out. "Google said Tuesday it will require users to allow the company to follow their activities across e-mail, search, YouTube and other services, a radical shift in strategy that is expected to invite greater scrutiny of its privacy and competitive practices," explained The Washington Post's Cecilia Kang, who took note of Google's recent less-than-stellar earnings report as well as the privacy complaint the company recently settled with the Federal Trade Commission. "The information will enable Google to develop a fuller picture of how people use its growing empire of Web tools. Consumers will have no choice but to accept the changes." The new policy will also apply to Android users.

This comes at a time when Mark Zuckerberg is speaking out in the name of privacy control, making it Facebook's top priority. (The Silicon Valley Gods must be crazy!) That said, it will take some deep data-digging to find out exactly how closely Google will be tracking your email, search and YouTubing habits, though the recent Carrier IQ controversy doesn't bode well for Google's lack of an opt-out option. But at least you can use a fake name on Google+, now.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at aestes at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Adam Clark Estes