Ever since the hype created by the Edward Snowden controversy, privacy rankings have been a trending topic of discussion. The recent Google rating check revealed that the Google ranking has slipped considerably while WhatsApp has failed to live up to expectations.

According to Wired, Electronic Frontier Foundation's annual "Who's Got Your Back" privacy scorecard has revealed that the Google rating has slipped for the very first time. The technology giant that has always portrayed itself at the forefront of practicing techniques that optimize user privacy and therefore the drop in ratings has come as a surprise for technology analysts. This scorecard is generated on the basis of the amount of effort that companies invest in protection of their users' data from government surveillance and censorship.

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Even WhatsApp had a terrible score in these ratings, indicating that user data was at a great risk. Back in 2014, when the ratings were revealed, Google had managed a perfect score with all five stars; however, this year, the technology giant could barely manage three stars. In fact, in the last three years, the company had managed the best score each time the rating was revealed.

However, Google's rating is still better than the other members who participated in the study. These included WhatsApp, AT&T and Verizon, whose rating were quite dismal. Meanwhile, EFF staff attorney Nate Cardozo, who worked on the study, said that Google's rating were a cause of disappointment, given the technology firms consistent track record of voicing its opinion against government policies to protect the privacy of user data. The reports confirmed that in at least two categories of privacy protection, Google was no longer on the list, basis this report.

The privacy issue hit headlines after Snowden's controversy that surfaced about two years ago, according to Tech Type. Of late, the companies have been battling it out to establish their leadership in the domain of securing the privacy of the user in the virtual world.

The report also revealed that the rating had fallen because the company is no longer revealing complete details about the extent of data retention. 

TagsGoogle rating check