According to an analysis by StockApps, Google now collects more data than the five biggest digital companies – more than Facebook, Apple, Twitter, and Amazon.
The report into how consumers are tracked online found that Google tracks 39 different types of data; Twitter tracks 24 types, Amazon tracks 23 types, Facebook tracks 14 types, and Apple tracks 12 types of data – and these companies often don’t ask for permission.
Apple is the most privacy-conscious firm of the four and only stores the information that is necessary to maintain users’ accounts. This is because its business model is not as reliant on advertising revenue as Google, Twitter, and Facebook.
When commenting on the analysis, StockApps.com Edith Reads said. “Most people do not have the time or patience to read privacy policies that can be several pages long for each website they visit. Also, it is quite unlikely that all users have a background in law to properly grasp the privacy policy.
Besides, users lack time, patience, or energy to try to figure out what information websites are storing and how they are using it to their advantage. As a result, users end up allowing Google to harvest all the data they need by agreeing to the privacy policy terms.“
How to stop Google from tracking your data
Google is experimenting with automatically deleting user data, with users being able to pick a time limit for information to be kept. The company plans on adding the feature to other parts of its data collection model in the future.
However, for anyone concerned about sharing personal data with Google in the meantime, the analysts offer some suggestions:
- Turn off location tracking
- Consider changing your browser. Some alternatives include Firefox or Brave.
- Use Incognito mode for more privacy
- Use an alternative search engine
- Change your ad personalization settings
- Disable YouTube watch and search history
- Turn off facial recognition in Google Photos
- Edit your demographic information
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