The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has required Google to sign a formal undertaking to improve the information it provides to users about how it collects personal data in the UK after concerns expressed following changes to the company's privacy policy.

The ICO found that Google was too vague when describing how it uses personal data gathered from its web services and products. Google introduced a new privacy policy in March 2012 combining approximately 70 existing policies for various services; however, the ICO ruled that the new policy did not include sufficient information for service users to understand how and why their personal data was being collected.

Google has signed an undertaking committing to make further changes to the privacy policy to ensure it meets the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act and to take steps to ensure that future changes made to the privacy policy also comply, including those for applicable user testing.

The ICO has already worked with Google to ensure a number of changes to the privacy policy. Google is now required to make further changes by 30 June and take additional steps over the next two years.

Whilst conducting its own investigation, the ICO has also worked with other European data protection authorities on this matter as part of the Article 29 Working Party.

 A copy of the undertaking is available here.

The ICO also plans to update its current Privacy Notices Code of Practice during 2015 in order to provide organisations with further guidance on how to convey privacy information, particularly in online and mobile environments.