Whooooo Are You, Who, Who, Who, Who?
They know your beliefs.
They know how healthy you are.
Have you tried to self-diagnose an illness lately?
Have you looked for the nearest doctor/pharmacy?
However, if you use Google Fit, then Google doesnt think, they know.
Location, Location, Location
If youre like me,you probably carry your phone everywhere you go.
You sync it with your other devices.
At the very least, its probably not the only gadget you connect to the internet.
Keep Your Friends Close…
If you think its just you against the machine, think again.
Profiling is a team sport.
You are being watched.
Your friends are being watched.Your friends are being used to watch you.
They know what youre saying.
Then they announced that they would stop reading emails to create targeted advertising.
These people have not signed up to Gmail.
The Like/Dislike Buttons of You
Whenever youbrowse for specific thingson Google Search, the algorithm learns.
Whenever youwatch a certain videoon YouTube, the algorithm learns.
Whenever youclick or hide an ad, the algorithm learns.
Whenever youbuy something online, if Google was a part of the process, the algorithm learns.
It learns until it knows exactly what you like and dont like…and then it learns some more.
Your Future is in Their Hands
Planning to go out to a party or a restaurant?
Planning to see a movie or concert?
Planning to take a trip or visit a landmark?
Planning to study or learn a new language?
Planning to move to a new city?
Planning to buy a car or a house?
Planning to have surgery?
Planning to have a baby?
Did you search for any of those things on Google or YouTube?
If you did,Google is planning right alongside you.
One order of tailored advertising, like.
The Web is Sticky
If Google is a spider,Google Chrome is its web.
These Google Chrome logged surfing app-habits include:
How Does Google Collect this Information?
All this information is collected throughthe Google websites and apps most of us use every day.
Why Does Google Want Your Information?
Well, their answer-that-isnt-a-real-answer isa faster, smarter, and more useful Google experience.
Google also uses your data to:
How Can This Affect You?
Hack, Hackity, Hack!
If your data, that Google stores, gets hacked, it can be misused in more sinister ways.
(Worse than advertising?
Your House, in the Middle of theScreen!
The creepiness continues with the Google Home personal assistant.
All of those with their very own log, ready for Google and their advertisers.
Deleted but Not Gone.
Meaning to remove or obliterate.
Its Raining Ads!
Ever wonder how these advertisers are so accurate, so often?
This can be especially effective on kids, who dont always understand how advertising targets them.
And on that note…
Threes a Crowd.
Whats in a Name?
Not every Google product comes with the Google name.
How Can You Protect Your Privacy?
So, at this point, you might be feeling a little frustrated, butdont panicjust yet.
There area few ways to protect yourselffrom information-hungry, data-collecting software.
Once youve gotten over the shock, follow these easy steps todownload a backup copy of your data.
After all, it is yours.
Be prepared, asthere will most likely be quite a bit of contentto sort through.
The issue is that its not just the web client or website that are tracking you.
Manybrowser plug-ins, add-ons, and extensions track your information and could expose your identity and location.
Google allows you toturn off Google Analyticsby using their web app ad-on.
Decide how much information you are willing to share byadjusting your privacy controls.
Disable location reporting across all your devicesto keep Google from tracking your whereabouts.
That said, your location data might still be compromised if you use Google Maps or Waze for directions.
This becomes particularly useful when you’re required to transmit sensitive data such as passwords or banking details.
Want to remove temptation?Remove targeted adsby turning off interest-based advertising.
How to Delete your Google History
So, uhm… where to now?
The only way to way to reach true anonymity is byhiding your IP.
And the best way to do that isby using a VPN(Virtual private connection).
And the best VPN?
Its the current gold standard of what a VPN should be.
Affordable.It has it all.
Conclusion
Theres no denying thatGoogle has always been at the forefront of making our lives more convenient.
But to keep doing that,theyll always need more of your information.
Privacy seems to be the price of convenience.
AndGoogle is by no means alone in this.
Other tech-giants, like Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft do pretty much the same.
