Recently, public attention has been directed towards Facebook. The scandal associated with this social network concerns issues of protecting personal information and privacy of users. And there is every reason for distrust on the part of users. After 87 million user accounts were hacked, the case received some publicity. There is no lack of skepticism about Facebook today. But while all eyes are on Facebook, Google seems to be slipping out of sight when it comes to privacy issues. Although, in fact, this search engine knows more about you than Facebook. Caution! You are under surveillance!
So what exactly does Google really know about you?
Let's start with the simplest answer: Google knows as much as you allow. This means that your privacy settings determine the amount of information you allow Google to receive. This is access to your browsing history and activity for related products. To give a real-world example of how much data a search engine has about people, it's worth noting that the amount of information downloaded for the average user will be approximately 2 GB. This corresponds to approximately 1.5 million Word documents.
This body of information can include your browsing history, videos, purchases, location history, online searches, and more. Anything you “connect” to Google, such as your phone, collects information about you.
Some of the obvious things that shouldn't surprise you are Google's knowledge of your age, gender, where you live, and sometimes where you work and where you are. This helps Google to group you into different categories, for example, "women aged 25-35 living in Moscow and working in finance."
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Some examples of other information that Google collects:
- places that you searched on Google maps;
- the apps you used (if you have an Android device);
- whatever you asked your google search;
- every video you watched on YouTube;
- every comment you leave on YouTube;
- all Gmail files, downloads, emails and even drafts.
When it comes to your location
It's not only keeping track of where you've been, but also the date, time of day, travel time, and the amount of time spent at each location. Google Fit tracks how many steps you took at a specific time when you walked or worked.
Google also collects information about your apps that you have agreed to provide, such as Uber and Spotify. This includes app extensions, especially Messenger, so that it can see who you are talking to on Facebook, what time you are most active, and even when you go to bed.
Photos and events
Google Photos stores information about where you took photos, when and who you were with. If you open Google Photos, it shouldn't surprise you that the app will start identifying people and things in a photo. Now you can search for "my dog" and it will display all of your dog's photos.
Google Calendar keeps track of all the events you've attended and when. Google stores search history across all your devices in a separate database, so even if you delete your search history and phone history, Google will keep everything until you delete all devices.
Automatic fillings
Automatic online fill-ins, such as passwords and credit card details, are also stored in the Google database. This includes: every purchase made with your card, money transfers and other financial manipulations, including with your logins and passwords.
Perhaps the most annoying thing for people is that Google keeps deleted files too. But it's probably best to remember that Google's intentions are not criminal. The listed functions are intended for displaying ads and making a profit. However, as Facebook said, the problem is not with Google or Facebook, but that others have the ability to access this massive amount of data.
Vladimir Storozhenko