Google Clarifies its Use of FICO Credit Scores

Yesterday we posted about Google's recent ability to determine users' credit scores based on which websites they visit. There weren't a lot of specifics available how exactly this worked or how the information would be used, so we were happy to get Googler Sandra's clarification on it. Here's what she says:

"Google is not – and the research company Compete is not – estimating individual credit scores, and Google is absolutely not in the credit scoring  business (nor is Google scoring consumer credit at all).

* Google has not seen, and will not see, individual FICO scores.

* The methodology of the research was as follows:

• Compete conducted a clickstream analysis on their opt-in panel of 2 million US online consumers, to associate FICO score categories   – not  individual scores – with sites in the Google Content Network.
• The analysis took a look at the online behavior of Compete's opt-in  panelists who shopped for or applied for a credit card online between January and March 2009, for the 30 days prior to the application and/or research. 
• Compete segmented panelists by credit score into one of three FICO score  bands – Super Prime (720 and above), Prime (600 to 719), and Sub-Prime (below 600).
• Individual scores and personally identifiable information were not used by Compete, nor were they received by Google. Google provided Compete with a list of all sites in the Google Content Network.
• Compete compared how panelists in each FICO band searched and where the  panelists spent time on the GCN, and ranked each GCN site based on its ability to reach consumers in particular FICO score bands.
• Google received information about the scoring of the GCN sites from Compete.
• The planning tool is essentially a list of sites scored based on the specific demographic they best reach; the scoring is calculated from aggregate, anonymous data – culled from opt-in panel participants – by Compete.

And just to reiterate: There are no plans for Google to use FICO-related targeting for any of its products or offerings, and we don't collect or serve ads based on personal information without user permission."