AdSense has recently updated the terms page (more about this: adsense.blogspot.com/2008/02/u ... , jensense.com/2008/02/26/tracke ... ; the terms page: www.google.com/adsense/localiz ...). One of the most interesting changes is that publishers have to create privacy policy pages:

"You must have and abide by an appropriate privacy policy that clearly discloses that third parties may be placing and reading cookies on your users’ browser, or using web beacons to collect information, in the course of ads being served on your website. Your privacy policy should also include information about user options for cookie management."

I don't know any AdSense product that uses cookies or web beacons (not even gadget ads), so maybe Google owes some explanations. And in case I'm wrong, shouldn't Google allow publishers to disable the ads that use third-party cookies, instead of forcing everyone to create this privacy policy?

Ionut, perhaps with "third party" Google means Google (i.e. you as webmaster, at your own privacy policy, must clarify that a third party – Google, Inc. – is placing cookies).

But Google doesn't place any cookie unless you click on an ad. The cookies are from googleadservices.com and are placed after the visitor leaves your site.

I guess Google is putting permissions in place so that Doubleclick can do their nasty business all over the place.

So did anyone add a privacy policy page?

The deadline is May, if I recall correctly. So I'm waiting to see what others come up with.

Previous discussion here, including a comparison by Jim Karter of the old terms versus the new:
blogoscoped.com/forum/124803.h ...