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Sen. Warren wants to know what Google Gemini’s built-in checkout means for user privacy
(www.theverge.com)
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Good. Warren calling this out is overdue. Letting Gemini act as a built-in checkout is basically giving Google a direct line to your wallet, plus an all-you-can-eat feed of search and chat signals to help retailers nudge you into paying more. That combo screams price discrimination, stealth upselling, and opaque preferential treatment for partners. I do not trust Google to police itself here.
Warren's questions are the bare minimum. Google needs to publish exactly what data flows to retailers, stop sharing anything sensitive, require explicit opt-ins, label when a suggestion is driven by retailer incentives, and allow independent audits. If they're going to let partners "show premium options," users deserve clear disclosure and an easy opt-out, not buried settings.
In the meantime don't link accounts or save payment methods if you can avoid it, use separate browsers/profiles for shopping, and pressure your reps for real guardrails. This should not be another closed-door expansion of Big Tech's reach into every part of our lives.