This article, from The Hacker News, discusses the topic of Google and the amount of data they collect on everyone that uses Chrome and the Google app. A fellow web browser company, DuckDuckGo, called out Google for not spying on their users and not providing the correct amount of information regarding the amount of data that is collected. DuckDuckGo is well known as a search engine that does not base your search results off of your past search history or website data, unlike Google. Google uses your own data gathered over time to show you certain websites and ads that match your history.
The main issue with Google in this situation is that they have never truly shown how much data they collect on their users. Much like Facebook, all we know is that it is clearly being taken and sold because of the popup ads we see about things we’ve looked up before. Not to mention the fact that now everyone has a Google Home or an Amazon Echo in their house which constantly records your conversations whether you activate it or not. I think the most obvious solution to this issue would have been for users, and other companies like DuckDuckGo, to go after Google sooner on this topic. At some point, a line has to be drawn between what information is and isn’t sold but the users of these applications have no idea what that line is because we assume nothing is even happening in the first place. Luckily a large part of the data collection issue is being solved by Apple in their iOS 14 update. “First- and third-party apps will not only have to tell users what information they amass but also get their permission to do it” which will allow users to know what's happening behind the scenes and choose whether or not they want to use those apps. At the bottom of the article is an image of the various data that is collected by DuckDuckGo, Google Chrome, and the Google App.
For all of us to know how much of our own data is being collected and sold to other companies over time is a little unsettling. In my opinion, if someone didn’t want their information collected by certain companies, they should’ve already had the opportunity to choose whether or not it is permitted. Obviously, it would make sense for companies and individuals to press legal charges against businesses that collect and sell your data but the possibility of someone being able to do that and winning would never happen. That fact proves the US needs to have stricter data security policies places on companies, much like the EU’s GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation. The GDPR puts strict regulations on the data that companies within the EU can collect as well as allowing their EU customers the right to tell that company to delete all of their data.
https://thehackernews.com/2021/03/google-to-reveals-what-personal-data.html
Hi Danny, the article you chose and analyzed was very informative on the privacy issues with companies like Google. I like how the article explained the exact way Google has been collecting data on people. Because Google is a search engine, they collect data on people's search history and use that to advertise certain websites and products. Is this wrong? Yes and No. I agree with you that Google should be open like other companies such as Facebook about how much data they are collecting. However, from a business and customer stand point it is a great advantage. These companies will be able to target people based off of their preferences and what they enjoy. For the customer it makes it easier because it will be advertised on your screen. However, it comes down to whether or not we are comfortable with our data being collected and sold throughout the world. The data being collected is not being used as a harmful action, but it can easily become a weapon. I think that the real question that should be asked is how can companies continue to collect data in a way that the users feel comfortable? If the companies and the users can find an agreement or create a system that works for both parties that would be ideal. This article does a great job highlighting the data privacy problems that Google is currently dealing with. However, I would have liked to see them talk more about solutions to this problem. This was a good topic, I have done prior research on similar topics and it is something that is becoming a serious problem.
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