What Google knows about me
Everything. ok, almost everything.
I was a reading a post on “Google To Become Open Source Science Repository” at Techcrunch. While this is a really nice gesture by Google, what made me uneasy was Ducan’s observation that “We thought Google knew everything, now it will know even more“. So I just made a list of Google’s products that I use and what google knows about me. The list was really scary. Read on and most probably you will be scared too.
Google Search :- all my searches (interests, hobbies, plans). May be my profession too.
Google Desktop Search :- all the content on my laptop
Google Toolbar :- the web sites I visit, frequency of visit
Gmail :- All my emails. Even if you do not use gmail, if the person you send mails, uses gmail then google knows the content of the email sent by you.
Orkut :- myyour freind list, the communities I belong to
Blogger :- frequency of my blog post, all those post that I never published
Adsense :- my complete address, my online income, which posts on my blog are more popular
Adword :- my credit card information
Analytics :- details about my users, where and how they come from
webmaster tools:- the search term I target
Personally I love google and I use their products because they are the best ones available. But the thought that one company knows too much about me sometimes worries me. Just in case they become evil someday !!! I think we desperately need an alternative, may be an open source search engine.
The following links will explain exactly why I am uncomfortable.
AOL search data scandal
US regional bank hacked
AT&T hack exposes 19,000 identities
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It sounds scary at first but honestly other than Google, the banks, the credit companies, the government already has this knowledge of us. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t plan on doing anything illegal so it doesn’t really bother me if one more entity knows something about me.
Sita, I’m not sure there’s any turning back on this. What baffles me is that while most people know this personal information is out there and yet, they continue to pour their content online. All because Google was able to act as our global filing secretary.
@Everett
Just the thought of someone having so much knowledge about me makes me uncomfortable.
Yeah you are indeed right. And do not worry, I am not planning anything illegal either.
Wow, never realized how much of my information they really have
Slight correction: “…the content of your email.” should read “… the content of that email (or those emails).” Your version reads like if a non-gmail user sends an email to a gmail account, then all their email is known to Google. That’s not true…. yet!
Keep on keeping on.
@Dempsey
Thank god that it is not true yet
Good observation though. Updated the post to reflect the fact that content of only that email will be known to google. Thanks
may be this sounds good. But imagine you are feeding your data to an unknown source which may or may not be trusted as it is not a single person it is an entire organization.The data that we wont share with even our family members. I think there is no need of saving all these information including our personal details like (account details etc.).
Whatever Google knows, N.S.A. knows. It’s what they do. It’s what they do better than anyone else in the world.
Be a quiet little citizen, citizen. Have no opinions outside your daily grind. Speek not of complaints, or politics. Be a good consumer. All will be well. You will be among the very last they come for. Catch no-one’s eye. Peek no-one’s interest citizen.
Someone once observed, “you are only
paronid if no one is actually out to get you”.
Have you ever read the transcript of the Church
Commission investigations? You should, you know. But do so quietly citizen. Do so quietly.
Remember Citizen, If you are doing nothing wrong, you have NOTHING to fear. If you are very, very careful each day,.. You can do nothing wrong. If you are very, very quiet, no one will notice you. You have nothing to fear.
Never use “those” words when you write an email. Never use those words that are being looked for. Never use those words that will catch the interest of the fourty acres of super computers under ground at Fort Meade. I can’t write those words for you here citizen. If I did It would be noticed. It can be bsd to be noticed. Isn’t that the point I’ve just been making here?
Have no strong opinions citizen. Speek well of averyone. Always speek well of our wonderful Government. Always speek well of our wonderfull leaders. Support their wonderful efforts to keep you safe, and well, and to provide for your needs citizen. It’s every citizen’s duty to support our government citizen. It’s everyone’s duty! Train your mind only to think positive thoughts citizen. Teach your children to think only positive thoughts.
Always remember that it is much safer to be in the middle of the herd than it is to be on it’s
fringes.
Above all citizen, remember that all is well. All is well.
It scares me to be honest.
What if a Google employee decided to do something not so good with the personal information.
John