Google gives you no privacy despite new regulations
- Written by MarketWatch
- Published in Economics
My inbox, like yours, is full of GPDR notes from websites I’ve provided my email address to, telling me they “value my privacy” and need me to confirm I want to remain their subscriber — so they can send me even more emails.
Needless to say, I’ve used this opportunity to reduce my inbox clutter, actually following up with less than 5% of those requests.
Unfortunately, that won’t improve my privacy or make me share fewer details online.
A main reason is that I use Alphabet’s GOOG, +3.18%[1] GOOGL, +3.18%[2] Google products in my daily online interactions. I have a Gmail account, I access YouTube often and own an Android phone. Many of my readers do the same, not realizing we’re sharing with Google and, indirectly, with various advertisers using Google AdWords. Here’s how much the omniscient Google knows about you:
It knows where you’ve been ...
Isn’t it nice when Google Maps can tell you when the next bus is coming, or where the nearest shop is? To provide this kind of information, Google optimizes your location information. Google can provide you with traffic predictions for your daily commute, as well as recommendations based on the places you’ve visited while signed in.
Here’s mine: ...
