Google Knows You Very Well

Michelle Wilson - August 29, 2019

We’ve all either made the joke or heard the joke that “google knows everything”. Ever really wonder how much of that is true? I’m sure we’ve all had a few searches we’d rather keep to ourselves.

But search is just the beginning of it. People everywhere use google for almost everything. Photos, videos, event reminders, memos, file storage you name it, and google probably has a service for it. But what if any of that data could be incriminating? What if it was used against you at a later date?

A lot of the data is stored on what appears to be randomly generated URL addresses.

Okay but what does that mean for you? Well… it means that with the right link, just about anyone can access anything. That can be a scary thought.

Does Google Store Information On Me?

The short answer is “of course”. But what that information actually entails is different for each of us. You can assume Google likely has the obvious data points on us. I.e. Name, Gender, Birthday, Phone and Email.

However, you’d probably be pretty shocked to find out what other information Google is storing and tracking:

Your Location

Oh yes. If you think Google isn’t very aware of where you are when you do your searches you’d be very mistaken. It is something that is almost always running in the background of our phones. The pin on Google Maps that denotes where you are on the map, is all available in your location history.

You can turn this feature off on your phone, and disable history.

Search

Of course google tracks and stores your search history. In fact every time you use Google Assistant and use your voice to do a search, not only is that search recorded and tracked, but so is your voice audio. That’s right! Google saves that too! So don’t even think about denying those embarrassing searches.

Internet Shopping

Oh yeah, didn’t we tell you? Most (if not all) worthwhile websites use Google Analytics. Google is very much a part of most websites in the background. So whenever you make a purchase, no matter how personal the purchase is, google is tracking and recording it.

Think about that the next time you’re ordering something naughty. Google won’t forget about it!

YouTube

Did you know Google owns YouTube? That’s right! So everything you watch and subscribe to is only adding to the millions of data points google is collecting about you to build your user profile.

I can think of at least a half a dozen times where I’ve got lost in a YouTube black hole for hours and god knows what I watched! I certainly don’t want that information going public and I am sure you don’t as well.

Photos

Would you be comfortable with just anyone accessing your photos without your knowledge? Even if you didn’t have anything embarrassing or naughty in your photos, some people do, and until now we have all assumed our photos were protected and safe. As it turns out, anyone who has the right link can access just about any stored files on Google.

So basically the only thing that stands between you and your privacy is a very complicated, auto generated URL that any computer with a connection can access if they guess it right.

Gmail

Don’t be silly… of course Google stores your emails. But maybe you didn’t know that it sometimes allows Third-Party-Developers to gain access to your emails if you grant them permission when installing certain apps.

You should start reviewing your apps to see which ones you have given access to your email account to.

How to Monitor Your Online Information

As it turns out there is plenty one can do to keep those in the shadows out of your private information. While Google hasn’t given us much to be concerned about, other companies have not been so lucky, and the truth is Google isn’t immune (no company or provider is).

We hear about data breaches in security all the time when watching the news. We hear terms like “hackers” and “dark web” and “compromised accounts”. Once your information hits the dark web it is pretty much there forever.

Consider a Dark Web Scan from CheckPeople. We will monitor the dark web for signs of your information. If it’s found, you are alerted, so you can begin to take the steps to protect your identity and financial accounts.