I notice that Google now has a privacy policy link on its homepage. Congratulations to Marc and others who pushed for this.
It's tempting to view this move cynically as a dragged-out response to a long-standing complaint from the privacy community. My understanding, however, is that there has been internal debate at Google over whether to include a privacy link on the homepage for some time. One argument against such a link is that it conveys the sense that a given company respects privacy, irrespective of the actual content of the policy (which, as we know, often goes unread).
I'm not saying Google did this on purpose, but I think that many more people are likely to click on the privacy link, given that it appeared suddenly on the zealously sparse Google homepage. (Unless, of course, they get distracted by the fireworks.)
I'm particularly delighted that clicking on the privacy link takes users to Google's privacy videos. Although at times overly simplistic, these videos engage the consumer in a way text-based discussions may not.
All in all, I think this is good development. Now if only Google would explain what "We may combine the information you submit under your account with information from other Google services or third parties in order to provide you with a better experience and to improve the quality of our services" means...