Link to Article: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/worried-about-what-facebook-knows-about-you-check-out-google-n860781
Summary: Dylan Curran who is an information technology consultant was shocked to see that when he requested to see his data from Google, he discovered that they were constantly tracking is location, interests, weight, income, and even data that he deleted. He found that all Google users are being tracked, but their information is not being sold. However a Google spokesperson has indicated that Google users need to make sure the privacy conditions are set to they way they would like their data to be controlled. Additionally, there are tools in the My Account section for users to review their privacy settings. And if there's any piece of data that a user wishes to delete, they can do so by clicking on the three dots. However, Google's privacy policy does say that they may share non personally identifiable information publicly.
Analysis: Personally, I wasn't really alarmed when I found out Google tracks your location, because every once in a while if I'm at a restaurant, I get notifications from Google telling me to leave a review of the place. But I do understand why it may seem really alarming to some people because there are some things that aren't meant to be shared. However, I think that if you are worried about Google sharing any of your private information, taking a look at the My Accounts section and checking out the privacy settings would be a good place to start.
Questions:
1. What are your thoughts about Google keeping records of your information?
2. Do you think there's a limit to how much of one's personal data tech companies are allowed to record?
16 comments:
I know that Google tracks my location because every day I get a notification from Maps telling me how long it will take me to get to my house or work, and I personally don't mind it because the information is useful to me. Also, if Google is keeping track of what I search online and how much money I make, they must be disappointed because I truly am quite boring, and very broke. I can understand why some people wouldn't want their personal information being shared by different companies in order to target them for ads or whatever the data is used for, but since I am horrible with technology, I cannot offer any advice other than please update your privacy settings.
Personally, I don't mind having Google keep track of my data. They are providing very useful features, and that is what I want. It's like having a friend who knows me extremely well who helps me with everything. And if they sell my info, cool, I get better services from other sites and better tailored ads. It's all great. Keep up the good work, Google.
I don't mind data tracking. What's nice about Google is that they don't sell your data to other companies as they own all the ad networks necessary to profit off the data themselves. If you want to change settings you can always go to google.com/account which is nice.
I also agree that I don't mind Google knowing my data just because I assumed they knew already. I think it makes sense why they are super advanced in their technology and thats what makes Google, Google.
I'd heard of google being able to tailor your ads to sites you've viewed as well so I'm also not surprised that google tracks my data. I think there is a limit to what the companies should be tracking, especially if a user specifically requests that certain information be deleted. However, it's hard to know what they're tracking and all one can do is hope that one's information won't be misused in anyway.
To be completely honest I don't really care about Google and other tech companies knowing my information. If I put it up there I have no shame in it. I wouldn't give out any information that I wouldn't want other people to know about and if people do and get mad about these companies utilizing that data, that is their own fault. If people have qualms about these companies selling their data, they shouldn't use the resource.
Google has never hurt me. I'm just as aware as anyone else when it comes to the fact Google and other online medium collect your information. I wasn't surprised because I've always been very careful to review the privacy policies and make sure my preferences are recorded so that they do not have or share data that I would not want to share myself. However, there seems to be a slippery slope with these sort of companies managing data, as Facebook was recently caught in a scandal in which they sold private information to other companies. Overall, I think it comes down to personal responsibility. If you don't want your information to end up in the wrong hands, be careful where you share it and to whom you share it with.
I'm not really bothered by the fact that google is tracking my location and gathering other kinds of information about me. As long as I'm not being directly affected by it, I don't care about what google is doing. This is just one of the risk we take when utilizing technology and the internet in our daily lives, and we are responsible for what is being put out there. Therefore, no I don't think there's a limit to how far data tech companies should gather, so that's why people need to limit themselves and be cautious about what they're putting on the internet.
I don't really care that google is gathering so much information on me. It has never effected me negatively and I'm not constantly thinking about it. I think that it has helped me in some circumstances, like knowing what I like to shop for online or what is the best route for me to take home. I'm pretty sure there are steps we can do that would limit what information google can get from us, so if it is really a concern to some people there are ways to limit that. In general though, I think it is more important for internet users to just be careful of what they do on the web. I agree with Keegan in how it is our responsibility to make sure that our confidential stuff stays in our hands.
I agree with Iman in that I really don't care that Google is keeping tabs on me. It doesn't seem to hurt me and in a way there are some benefits. The ads that I get usually appeal to me and given that we live in a technology driven world, our information is everywhere. There is no limit to how much of one's personal data tech companies could record because it's our responsibility to think twice before publishing something online and keep private stuff to our selves, unless of course we want people to see it.
I think Google's data tracking is not a large issue. Information such as my locations, interest, etc are not concerning to me. However, I believe that google claiming that their are privacy settings seems ridiculous as they will likely access the information they want and have no way of being caught for it. Google tracking this information makes sense because it contributes to the user experience. There are possibilities of this power being corruptly used, but I do not see how that would happen.
I think that Google keeping data and using it later is unethical and frankly just strange. To me, it is more than a little unnerving to think that my information, location, interests, and more are being stored somewhere, accessible to God knows who. However, I am also aware that this is more common than we think, and it has not affected me much. Nonetheless, I do not think Google should be allowed to do this, at least without user consent. Same goes for Facebook, which is a whole different can of worms... I think there is definitely a limit to how much about a person a company should be able to record.. Having detailed records of everyone who goes online and uses a specific site is creepy, and should not be legal in my opinion. It seems like a gross violation of privacy.
I think that Google can keep data about us as long as you have the option to opt out of it. I think some people find it useful when google is able to track your location or browsing history in order to make adds more relevant or having directions be easier to use on their app. But people who prefer to have that information private and google should respect that and not track their activity. I think as long as google is honest about how much they track and what they use it for, and they respect the desire to stay private that some users have, then google is okay.
I don't mind Google tracking our data, however I think that it is definitely scary to think how much technology has advanced and the crazy amount of information they know about me. Google tracking my locations or interests doesn't affect me as it's actually helpful and beneficial for me. If I close a tab, I can reopen it, or if I don't know where I am, Google can locate me and tell me. I think that as long as Google isn't selling this information or misusing it, then its okay.
This is not as scary as one may think. They are taking our information and providing us ads that we are more likely to click on. The scary part is when they sell our information to campaigns or unwanted firms. This is problematic as it is not promoting the users interest. If google and facebook want to do this, they should allow the user to block them from taking information.
I actually do have a problem with this sort of thing; I don't like any type of personal survaillance, so knowing that google is keeping tabs on me is disconcerting. Maybe its just the paranoia of anyone being able to track me down, even if its through something as safe as google, but this bothers me. Sure the information isn't being sold to anyone, but just thinking of the possiblities of other people selling it for money, or being able to get the information is enough to make me change my privacy settings. Thank you for the article!
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