When it comes to technology and the internet, Google is a household name. From search engines to email to cloud storage, it seems like Google has a hand in almost everything. But as convenient as it may be to have all of these services in one place, it’s important to consider the implications for our privacy.
First and foremost, Google collects a massive amount of data on its users. This includes information about our search queries, our location, and our online behavior. This data is used to personalize our experience and serve us targeted ads, but it also means that Google has a wealth of information about us that could potentially be used for nefarious purposes.
Additionally, Google’s business model is built around advertising. This means that the company is constantly looking for ways to collect more data on its users in order to serve them more targeted ads. This can lead to some sketchy practices, such as scanning our emails in order to serve us ads based on the content.
Google has been known to share user data with third parties, including government agencies. While the company claims that it only does so in response to legal requests, the fact remains that our data is not as private as we might think when we’re using Google services.
Relying heavily on Google services, we are putting all of our eggs in one basket. If something were to happen to Google – whether it be a data breach or a change in the company’s policies – we could potentially lose access to all of our data and information.
So, what can we do to protect our privacy when it comes to Google? One solution is to simply use as few Google services as possible. Instead of using Google search, try using a privacy-focused search engine like DuckDuckGo. Instead of using Gmail, try using a privacy-focused email service like ProtonMail. And instead of using Google Drive, try using a privacy-focused cloud storage service like Sync.
Another solution is to be conscious of the data we’re sharing with Google and to take steps to limit this data. For example, we can turn off location tracking on our devices and limit the amount of personal information we share on our Google accounts.
It’s important to remember that our privacy is valuable and that we should be mindful of the ways in which we’re sharing it with companies like Google. By taking steps to limit our use of Google services and to be conscious of the data we’re sharing, we can better protect ourselves and our privacy.
In conclusion, Google is one of the most used search engine and services providers. But it’s important to consider the implications for our privacy while using these services. Google collects a massive amount of data on its users and its business model is built around advertising, which can lead to some sketchy practices. Additionally, Google has been known to share user data with third parties, including government agencies. Furthermore, by relying heavily on Google services, we are putting all of our eggs in one basket. To protect our privacy when it comes to Google, we can use as few Google services as possible and be conscious of the data we’re sharing with Google.
At this point I actually use very few Google services
- Email: Protonmail, I keep Google since some websites do not accept Protonmail
- Youtube: I use yt-dl and Invidious
- Search: I only use Google to search images, I mainly use SearXNG
- Browser: I keep Chrome just in case I need something that only run on Chrome but my main Explorer is LibreWolf
There even other apps and interfaces I use to stay away as possible from this data farming services, I will post at least one of this alternatives with short tutorials.
Geeky side of me besides talking about sports, movies and tv series.