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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday November 03 2019, @11:13PM   Printer-friendly
from the amnesia dept.

Submitted via IRC for Runaway1956

Google knows a whole lot about you. Here's how to make it forget

Google collects a staggering amount of information about you -- maybe even more than you realize. Google remembers every search you perform and every YouTube video you watch. Whether you have an iPhone ($699 at Amazon) or Android phone, Google Maps logs everywhere you go, the route you take to get there, when you arrive and what time you leave -- even if you never open the app. When you really take a look at everything Google knows about you, the results can be shocking -- maybe even a little frightening. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do about it.

As a spate of data leaks and privacy violations continues to weaken the public's trust in big tech companies, Google has responded by creating a privacy hub that lets you access, delete and limit the data Google collects on you. Navigating all the various settings can get confusing, however, and it's not always clear what you're giving Google permission to do.

What's worse, whenever you make a change that would restrict how much or for how long Google tracks you, Google warns that its services won't work as well without unfettered access to your data. How true that may be isn't very clear.

Despite Google's best efforts to increase transparency, recent revelations that the search giant was secretly sharing users' private data with third-party advertisers have challenged the public's trust in the company, whose Google Home ($99 at Walmart) and Google Nest lines of smart speakers seek to put microphones and cameras in the most private of settings -- your home.

We're going to cut through all the clutter and show you how to access the private data Google has on you, as well as how to delete some or all of it. Then we're going to help you find the right balance between your privacy and the Google services you rely on by choosing settings that limit Google's access to your information without impairing your experience.


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  • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday November 04 2019, @02:47AM (5 children)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Monday November 04 2019, @02:47AM (#915548) Homepage Journal

    Unless you tell your browser to lie randomly about those things, sure.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 04 2019, @03:50AM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 04 2019, @03:50AM (#915578)

    I built my own browser to lie about screen size, version, and installed fonts. Are you one of the ~100 other people in the world who have done so?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 04 2019, @04:05AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 04 2019, @04:05AM (#915587)

      Yes he is, and you are all on my list.
        -Eric.

    • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday November 04 2019, @04:14AM (2 children)

      by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Monday November 04 2019, @04:14AM (#915593) Homepage Journal

      No such heroic lengths are necessary. There are plenty of extensions that are happy to do so for you.

      --
      My rights don't end where your fear begins.
      • (Score: 1) by zion-fueled on Monday November 04 2019, @12:47PM (1 child)

        by zion-fueled (8646) on Monday November 04 2019, @12:47PM (#915688)

        Once you do that, the fun really starts. The phrase captcha comes to mind.