Google’s File on You is 10 Times Bigger Than Facebook’s — Here’s How to View It

Venustus

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With all the attention paid to Facebook in recent weeks over ‘data breaches’ and privacy violations (even though what happened with Cambridge Analytica is part of their standard business model), it’s easy to forget that there are four other Big Tech corporations collecting just as much — if not more — of our personal info. Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft are all central playersin “surveillance capitalism” and prey on our data. New reports suggest that Google may actually harvest ten times as much as Facebook.
Curious about just how much of his data Google had, web developer Dylan Curran says he downloaded his Google data file, which is offered by the company in a hub called “My Account.” This hub was created in 2015, along with a tool called “My Activity.” The report issued is similar to the one Facebook delivers to its users upon request. Whether or not these reports are comprehensive is still up in the air, but Curran says his was 5.5 GB, which is almost ten times larger than the one Facebook offered him. The amount and type of data in his file, Mr. Curran says, suggests Google is not only constantly tracking our online movements but may also be monitoring our physical locations.


 

enaph

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I ditched all Google services. I don't use FaceBook. I know it hard to stand out from the crowd but this is the right thing to do.
I am on my way to ditch Google services although it's very hard as they're everywhere and, let's be honest, they are extremely user friendly...
However I believe that at some point I will be Google free.
 

jogs

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Its easy to ditch FB but its not that easy to get rid of MS, Google and Apple.
Users have got accustomed to their services so much that its really difficult to change things for them. Not everyone is tech savy, so its really difficult for most users to get used to a new service.
People using Windows for many years and its really difficult for most to switch to Linux, they need to learn a lot of new things and its really not an easy thing for most of them. And in case of mobiles there is no real alternative to Android and Apple.
The practical thing is to use alternate services where ever possible, like using some other email service rather than using Gmail. That's also true for Google Drive, One drive, Outlook, MS office, GSuite, Chrome and same kind of services offered by Apple.
As I have stated earlier also, there's a need to develop an independent privacy focused and user friendly OS. And that should work for PCs and also on mobiles.
 

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