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Google's new terms of service will (hopefully) be easier to read

It wants to be clearer about changes that could affect you.

Terms of service still tend to read like legal alphabet soup, but Google thinks it can do better. It's notifying users of a TOS change on March 31st that, among other things, should remove some of the mystery. The internet giant said its new terms are still written in legalese, but that the company has "done [its] best" to make them easier to grasp, including definitions and links. Google is promising better overall communication, too, clarifying just when it will change services or limit access. It aims to send more notifications if changes affect service.

The new terms also cover Chrome, Chrome OS and Google Drive. Google also isn't taking any chances and stresses that it's neither changing the privacy policy nor asking for restrictions on your legal rights.

Google doesn't expect the new terms to have a meaningful impact on how you use its services. At first glance, this is really about ensuring that more people read the TOS and understand why Google took action against some material. This won't satisfy people unhappy with Google's choices on privacy and other key areas -- it might, however, clarify the company's position during any disputes.