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Almost every Web site has a little link somewhere on the page outlining what their privacy policy is, but how often do you actually read it? 

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Well, Dan Simon has been through Google's new privacy policy, and he explains why the changes could have big implications.

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In the morning I check the headlines on Google News, send some personal e-mail using Google's Gmail. I may check Google Maps for driving directions. 

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Later at work I remember to do a Google search for plumbers. I also need to do research for this story, more searches. 

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Later, I'll glance at my Google Calendar for appointments, upload some videos to YouTube 

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and maybe I'll log on to Google+, the company's growing social network. 

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And some variation of this happens almost every single day. 

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Google knows almost everything about you.

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That's why privacy watchdogs like Peter Eckersley are sounding the alarm about Google's new privacy policy. 

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Beginning next month, the company is going to keep track of your activity across all of its sites and build a profile of you.

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Google says it will use the information to improve its services, services where, for example, a user is more likely to get better search results.

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We'll understand that when you search for "jaguar," you're looking for a Jaguar.

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Critics say the company is stomping on privacy to bolster its advertising and, in turn, increase its profits.

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If there are things that you want to keep private about your life, those records are all in there. 

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If there are things that you actually need to prevent other people from knowing about you, those will be in there.

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Those already nervous about the company's influence pounced when it became known last week 

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that Google exploited a known weakness in Apple's Safari browser, bypassing the browser's privacy settings.

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When I first found what Google was doing, I thought I had it wrong. I thought I had to have it wrong.

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Jonathon Mayer is the Stanford researcher who uncovered the Safari breach. 

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On the surface, he says, it may not seem like a serious transgression. 

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Google's code was being used only to target ads, and user's personal information was never collected. 

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But for some, Web searches believed to be private were not. 

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And that, Mayer says, opens the door to private information being exposed by rogue employees, Internet hacking and more.

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Does it get disclosed 'cause an employee is evil, 'cause the company messes up? 

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Does it get disclosed 'cause the government demands it?

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As for the new policy, Google acknowledges that, quote, "people have different privacy concerns. 

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Our goal is to be clear about what information we collect so that you can make meaningful choices about how it is used."

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The bottom line: people use Google because it offers important and useful services that are also free.

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At this point, absolutely [you] have to trust Google. And in a sense, on one hand Google is probably more trustworthy than a lot of these other big technology companies. 

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But because they know so much about us, we have to hold them to a higher standard of trust.

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Now, if you're among those concerned about your privacy on Google, the company points out that its privacy controls won't change. 

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Users still have the option of editing or deleting their search history. But if you don't want to be tracked in the first place, 

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the easiest solution is this: just sign out of your account, then all your searches will be anonymous.