With the ever growing dependence on the Internet and technology, privacy is becoming a well-valued luxury. Everyone is under the impression that their personal material, pictures, videos, and the information are safe in an online cloud storage space provided by Google under Google Drive, however, what if you were to find out that there is an external source that has unlimited access to all this information? While all your personal information may be safe from the prying eyes of everyone else, but neglecting the very maker of this magical safe is a mistake on its own. Under fancy terms and lexicon, it may seem safe and secure to “lend” all this information to Google in order to “facilitate” your browsing activities, but in reality, it forms the very basis of an online profile that can be exploited anytime, anywhere without your prior knowledge. And you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because your contemporary existence depends on the likes of such engines. Following are a list of some of the ways Google can easily spy on you:
1. EMAIL ACCOUNTS
Gmail happens to be one of the largest email hosts in the world making its owner, Google Inc, one of the largest hosts of user information. The very application updates on your phones and the virus analysis of every outgoing and incoming email are some of the ways that Google uses Gmail to keep an eye on your whereabouts in the virtual world.
According to Google, these policies are only a means of facilitating the wider audience and catering to people’s issues based on valuable feedback that they are always receiving.
However, rights activists like Jim Killock this is all about personal preference. If it bothers someone so much, they have the liberty to completely withdraw from it at any time.
2. SEARCH TERMS
If you believe that your search history is primarily only for your eyes, you are sourly mistaken. Google keeps a separate log of all your search history and anything your feed the Google Search Engine. Through this, they are able to form a profile of you which would later be used in other places as well. Although it seems scary enough, but there is possibly no way for us to stop using Google altogether.
3. WEBSITES VISITED
Technically, the websites you visit are supposed to be external right? But how is it that Google has information about every website you have visited and whatever you have recently been showing interest in? The answer is fairly simple. Google employs the use of Google Chrome, which is a faster and stronger browser than many available otherwise. Anything you search through chrome is practically Google Property. Moreover, any site that employs the use of Google Ads, or is using Google Analytics to understand many aspects of their website coverage is technically providing your website preferences to Google voluntarily.
4. ANDROID DEVICE
Ever wondered why your android phone is linked to your Google account? It is for the very reason anyone would want to install spy software on your phone. Your android phone is the perfect means of collecting intricate details, not just about your virtual world but also the physical one. Through your android device, Google can also track your whereabouts easily.
5. WEB APPS
If your android is connected with your Google account then definitely every application that you tend to download on your phone gets registered with Google inevitably.
6. SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Most of us tend to link our Google accounts with our social media accounts. It’s usually because the idea of handling everything from one portal brings a lot of reliefs. However, if it’s linked to your Goggle account then Google is definitely trying on everything your post on social media.
7. ONLINE SHOPPING HISTORY
Online shopping is another way of keeping tabs on you. By showing you similar products to what you are originally looking for, Google tends to extract information on every consumer activity.
8. UPLOADS AND DOWNLOAD
Anything going in and out of Google Chrome is basically getting scrutinized by Google Inc. All your uploads and downloads can be easily retractable and used for different purposes than what you intended in the first place.
In either case, it is better to just accept the inevitable; there is not much left that Google has not already taken over or plans on taking over soon.
Infographic:
Infographic Source: TheOneSpy.com.
