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The defensive FAQ by Nest to alleviate widespread fears about the Google acquisition has been quoted extensively. The whole thing (it’s short) is worth examining critically.

Before we dig in, I want to acknowledge what I consider the first great Nest partnership. I’m not talking about Google. I’m talking about the one between you and the team here at Nest.

How patronizing.

Let’s all give each other a big hug! We’re just a $3 billion company that just got acquired by a massive advertising conglomerate that controls, tracks, and records an ever-expanding amount of everything that people do with all modern technology. We’re all friends and everything’s great. Give yourselves a big round of applause for being such great customers!

Keep this next part in mind:

Will Nest and Google products work with each other?
Nest’s product line obviously caught the attention of Google and I’m betting that there’s a lot of cool stuff we could do together, but nothing to share today.

This is fairly straightforward and obvious: the division between Nest and Google products and services will blur, leading to merged products in the future. Of course. Why would Google buy them if they didn’t have something like that in mind?

The definitions of “products” and “services” can be broad. Maybe the thermostat is still a Nest-branded product, but the weather service it connects to is a Google service. Habit analysis and prediction could also be a Google service. (It already is.) Obviously, Google and Nest should be considered one entity with one product line and shared services in the future, regardless of whose name is painted on the front of the thermostat.

So when I see so many people only quoting this part and thinking it changes anything, it’s pretty easy to have a more cynical (and realistic) interpretation:

Will Nest customer data be shared with Google?
Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services. We’ve always taken privacy seriously and this will not change.

Statements like this should be interpreted as if you’re a lawyer trying to find a loophole. (Because theirs will.)

“This will not change” only refers to “We’ve always taken privacy seriously”. In other words, the sentence only says “We will always take privacy seriously”, which doesn’t mean anything and should be disregarded. So we’re down to this:

Will Nest customer data be shared with Google?
Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services.

The question in bold is not answered by the following sentence, or anywhere else. Asking a question without answering it is a diversion, containing no information, so it can also be removed. We’re left with only one sentence that actually says something:

Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services.

It’s meant to sound reassuring, but their privacy policy can change whenever they feel like it. And remember, the definition of “providing and improving Nest’s products and services” can be very broad.

Think of how much more accurate your Nest thermostat’s predictions could be if it integrated with a few Google services.

If you’re using Google’s services enough to give them a pretty good idea of where you are and what you’re doing,¹ Nest could automatically turn your heat on so it reaches the ideal temperature at exactly the time you’re most likely to arrive home based on your location, travel speed, the route you usually take, and current traffic conditions. How clever and impressive! It’s even environmentally friendly!

Google won’t break into your home. You’ll invite them in.