Data Collection
In this piece, we’ll explore how Google conducts data collection on its users. There are two main areas in which it does so:
- Your direct interactions
- Developer tools
The first data collection technique is essentially what you, the user, provides to Google directly. We’ll explore these two techniques a bit more, as well as provide information on how best to control your privacy by educating yourself regarding Google’s data collection tactics.
Direct Interactions
Most businesses today track and collect data relating to your online habits. Google isn’t unique in that. What is unique about Google is how often and how much data Google collects on its users. Numerous data points get collected including:
- Addresses
- Emails
- Names
- Browsing history
- Contacts
- Audio data
- Product interactions
- Performance data
- Location information
- Photos
- Videos
The list goes on. Each data point will fall under a different bucket, and whether it’s gathered for product personalization or app functionality, Google collects it all. Many of these categories stem from your direct online interactions such as leaving your location services on or from general tracking cookies collected while you browse the internet.
Additional online interactions include things like how often a user clicks on targeted advertisements or any app store downloads. Direct interactions can also include more personalized things like the emails you send, the photos you take, and the comments you make on social media platforms.
Data Gathering Tools
The second form of data collection that Google uses is through developer tools, sometimes referred to as webmaster tools. Webmaster tools are embedded in most websites. Google uses many of them to track URLs related to the user. It should be noted that Google already retains indexes of URLs regardless and is constantly indexing web pages. Some examples of developer tools include:
- Web analytics
- Fonts
- CSS (bootstrap themes)
- Material icons
The functional use of above tools is to provide developers with more streamlined options for developing a better web, which could be indexed and organized more efficiently, the Google’s founding principle. But there is one more purpose it solves, which directly helps Google’s bottom line.
These tools serve a multitude of functions such as identifying how long requests take to load or how to improve existing web pages. We’re long past the days of dial-up; no one wants to wait ages for a web page to load. Developer tools help developers make sure websites are performing as they should.
In a previous post, we briefly explored the network tab. The network tab is a sort of holy grail of data sources and is meant for optimization of websites. It’s a tool that shows precisely what information gets sent to Google as it relates to your online habits. It validates in real-time a computer’s current networking activities as long as developer tools are open. Can a user check how Google collects data via such tools? The good news is yes, you can.
If you’re using a Chrome browser, simply navigate to your browser’s settings, select More Tools, select Developer Tools, and you’ll be able to see the Network tab. Alternately, if you’re using a Windows computer, select Ctrl + Shift + I once in the browser to access the Network tab. From there, you’ll be able to see what types of files get requested, where requests originate from, and more.
Where else does Google collect data from? The list is long, but a few additional examples include:
- Google Office Suite
- Android operating systems
- AI-based virtual assistants like Google Home
- YouTube
- Google Translate
- Google Flights
These are all Google-specific services widely used by people across the globe. While Google is using direct interactions and specific developer tools to collect data, it is simultaneously combing through the provided information to refine product offerings and react to market trends. Data collection techniques can inform Google about what languages you speak, how often you open certain applications, your budgeting habits, and what questions you ask your virtual assistant.
Google promises they do not sell user information to third parties. However, that doesn’t discount the fact that Google is using the data it collects on you, the user. After all, Google’s mission statements include maximizing access to information in order to provide relevant, reliable information to all. Data collection can optimize our online experience, but when the data collection creates a threat to user privacy? That’s where the issue lies.
Passive data collection through techniques like the ones above supersede design improvements and user experience in favor of analytics, targeted product personalization, and app functionality. Diagnostics and crash reports are all well and good, provided data collection is truly used to improve the usability of services.
Powerful Information
Information is power. For Google, a well-established company, information is the lifeblood of their business practice. Google’s products are built on data. Google constantly trawls the web for user data. You can take your privacy into your own hands by monitoring what information you’re freely providing online.
Double-check your current privacy settings or update Google’s Activity Controls. There you can manage your history, turn off location tracking, and decide whether you keep functions like Ad Personalization on. Utilizing a VPN might also be an option for users hoping to safely mask their identity when surfing the web.
The most straightforward way to keep Google from collecting data on you. Simply forgo using Google products altogether, many will find this difficult to do as Google is so well embedded in our daily digital lives. Information comes at a cost. As we know, the trade-off for using the vast amount of products offered comes at a cost of personal privacy. Google may be an internet giant squeezing out the small competitors, but if more consumers decided to make the switch to more privacy-friendly alternatives, we might just stand a chance at keeping our personal information safe.