What does Google know about you?

[Man]

Salute to all, dear friends!

In today's indifferent world, no one knows you better and can understand you better than your parents Google! If you've never thought about it, get ready - we're about to surprise you.

Whether you use Google's search engine, own an Android smartphone, or handle your email on Gmail, your entire life (including your deepest feelings, fears, and dreams) is the property of the Internet giant!

Of course, there is a tiny percentage of users that Google knows practically nothing about, and if you are one of them, this article is not for you. Below we will definitely tell you how to preserve your right to privacy on the Internet if this state of affairs does not suit you.

How does Google collect information?​

To answer briefly, you yourself voluntarily (and perhaps unconsciously) provide all the information about your personal life to the search corporation.

Yes, don't be surprised! Every company service (search or YouTube), every application (Google Maps or Play Music) and every device (Android smartphone, Google Home or laptop) transmits certain information to the company's servers.

It is not naive to think that Google releases many products for free, without which it is already difficult to imagine modern life.

The saying "there's no such thing as a free lunch" is more than appropriate here.

For every product the company produces, you pay with your right to privacy.

The following table will clearly show how and what information the “search engine” receives about you.

Do you think that's all? No! We continue.

Impressed? Let's go even further!​

Who does Google really think you are?​

How old are you? What sports do you like? Are you interested in luxury items? Do you like rock or listen to classical music? What brands of cars do you prefer?

• You can easily find out all this information by visiting the Google Advertising Personalization Service (clickable):

This is a test account where we tried to show exactly those characteristics that Google eventually determined. 100% hit! (Your account will have more information, check!)
By the way, if any of the things listed on this page do not apply to you, just click on the corresponding block and disable the selected interest:

Well done! Now Google's perception of you will be even more in line with reality.

Where can I see all the information collected about myself?​

How Google Tracks Your Movement Around the City​

If you are a happy owner of a smartphone or tablet on Android, then the "corporation of good" can track all your movements by precise geographic coordinates with a strict time reference - all your adventures, travels and trips, right down to diving in the Red Sea or going to the nearest kiosk for a can of beer for a parched throat. Or the evening farewell to a new acquaintance home, smoothly flowing into morning coffee in her company - she also has a smartphone on Android, right? - and your and her geographic coordinates, as understood by Google, overlapped each other all night.

• You can see all of this HERE (clickable).

By the way, as an example you can look at the screenshot below - these are the movements of one of the pizza delivery men:

Everything you were interested in on the World Wide Web​

It's no secret that every search query we feed to Google is saved almost forever.

And not only the direct requests are saved, but also all the data about the ads we click on. And all of this is used again to show you ads.

• Everything that concerns you directly in this regard can be found HERE.

We strongly recommend that you explore the page in the most careful way - here you can set sorting options by dates, types, topics, etc., search by images, words, etc., which will allow you to conduct a minimal analysis. And also study your favorite sites and queries (based on the search history, of course).

All devices that have connected to your account - yours and others​

• Here is a LINK to access this section.

Everything here is primarily about security. Once here, you can see a summary of all the devices that have connected to your account, and with a keen eye determine whether they were yours or someone else was wandering around.

All programs and extensions that have access to your data in Google​

• You can check which applications and add-ons are brazenly using the privilege of accessing your data HERE.

By the way, the applications that are marked here not only have this very access, but can also use your data without any restrictions at all.

Look at the list carefully - do you need such happiness? Maybe in this list you will see those very softwares that you have been planning to nail down for a long time, but "never got around to it". Perhaps they will "get around to it" now.

As a last resort, this page allows you to at least revoke permission for many third-party programs to use your data.

Search and watch history on YouTube​

• Everything you were looking for on the famous video hosting site, as well as what you have already found and watched - funny cats, or, on the contrary, not quite cats - you will see by following THIS LINK.

You can switch between showing your search queries and videos you've already watched at the top. There you can also find buttons to clear your entire history, as well as buttons to pause recording your YouTube adventures (however, we can't guarantee whether this will work or not - it'll probably still record as before, but you'll be shown a blank page, as if your adventures are no longer being recorded).

In any case, it's better to do it like this:

Synchronization of personal data​

Whether you use Google Chrome on your desktop or mobile device, any version of it automatically synchronizes over the Internet at certain intervals. At the same time, all the data carefully collected by the browser about you is transmitted and stored on Google servers.

This data can be different - for example, your passwords, list of bookmarks, visited sites, etc., etc.

Of course, all this can be somehow configured, choose what to synchronize and what not. But how many of you bother with this? And some don’t even suspect about it.

• Therefore, if you use a Google-made browser on at least one of your devices, I highly recommend that you take a look HERE and carefully read what this harmful software has already managed to leak about you.

Well, in general, when solving the issue of synchronizing your data between different devices, it is better not to use third-party Internet intermediaries, but to do it directly between devices.

In extreme cases, use reliable online services, where it is possible to use additional measures to preserve personal data. But these are topics for other serious and rather large articles.

Well, and for dessert...

BONUS​

All your Google data can be exported so you can take your time and sort through it "in the comfort of your own home."

• Here is the promised LINK.

Look, figure it out. On this page, Google allows you to export almost all of your data - contacts, emails, bookmarks, Google Drive files, YouTube videos, calendars, tasks, offline history, etc. - select and configure export conditions.

All selected can be uploaded to another site, or saved in your own archive. In the second case, you will receive several zip files that you can use at your own discretion.

By the way, a hacker who can gain access to your Google account will also gain access to all your data and will be able to use it at his own discretion.