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I am genuinely horrified to see how much data google collected from me

I created a google takeout and in that zip file I found some files containing a ton of data about me. It has logged every single page I visited while using the google search engine and chrome browser. It even logged every single time I opened an app on my old android phone. It even has VOICE RECORDINGS of me and a log of every time I used google assistant. This is just some of the data and I'm very sure there is even more data they have.

Scolding0513 ,

this is such a good post. everyone who wants to learn about privacy should do a google takeout FIRST. to get hit with a huge epiphany

hirad ,

One thing people seem to forget is that even though Google is a real enemy of privacy, it’s far from the worst company.
Companies like Google collect and use your data. While there are many companies that collect data only to sell them to any customer they might have.

BRBWaffles ,
@BRBWaffles@lemmy.world avatar

I rarely interact in any meaningful way with anything in Google's ecosystem these days. I'm still tied by a couple little whispy threads, but nothing serious. I'm running GrapheneOS with no Google apps, switched my email to Proton, switched to Firefox, search with Brave, use a NAS for cloud storage, and browse YouTube anonymously with NewPipe. Occasionally I'll get an email on one of my old Gmail addresses, but other than that I feel like I've sufficiently deGoogled enough to feel safe.

frostysauce ,

What do you do for maps/navigation?

BRBWaffles ,
@BRBWaffles@lemmy.world avatar

OsmAnd and Organic Maps. They're both not as good as Google Maps. But at least when I use them Google doesn't get to know that I traveled 15km across town to fuck a Tinder thot and buy bread.

kenopsik ,

Username checks out

Jayhosh ,

This! I genuinely love my phone now that's never happened before.

TankovayaDiviziya ,

How do you know all this? Did you request your data from Google?

dez ,
@dez@lemmy.ml avatar

takeout.google.com

TankovayaDiviziya ,

Thank you. I will trawl through 18 years of my Google account.

Etterra ,

I gave up caring years ago when I realized it was way too late to undo it all. If Google really cares that I'm a gamer then oh well, at least my ad blockers work just fine and I use Firefox so that's good enough.

glasgitarrewelt ,

It is never too late. Free yourself from this abusive relationship, it feels fantastic.

Coreidan ,

Free yourself from what exactly? I think you’d be surprised at how much everything else is tracking you still.

All for what, avoiding ads you’ll get anyway?

glasgitarrewelt ,

Legitimate question. Targeted ads feel obvious to many, but it is more about control.

  • Google knows more about you than your partner or you yourself know about you. And they know how to use that knowledge. The scariest part: this control over you is for sale.
  • Google controls how you use things. By being the defacto standard in so many things, they have the power to control how things look, feel and are beeing used. We are missing a lot of innovation because of that.
  • Google can basically decide, which business survives and which doesn't. It's not the one with the better product, it is the one which pays more money to Google. By that it helps to promote big companies, small businesses have a hard time to establish themselves. Even in my small citiy: if the new barber doesn't pay for Google placement and begs for useless 5-star-ratings, he won't survive.
  • It is hard to get out! You are getting lulled in with convenience and you unlearn how to use the internet outside of Google. Google takes prisoners and puts them in a plushy cell.

I think you’d be surprised at how much everything else is tracking you still.

You are absolutely right, I am surprised again and again. But I do my best to avoid it, if I find something that tracks me. And I am surprised that so many people let themselves being exploited, and even defend this exploitation.

Free yourself! It is work. But it is worth it. And it is not too late.

rageagainstmachines ,

What's even scarier is that takeout is probably only the data they want you to see, or are legally obliged to share.

I would be willing to wager they have lots more on you that you're not even aware of.

LemmyKnowsBest ,

including everything they see through our front camera and rear cameras 😱

Fisch ,
@Fisch@lemmy.ml avatar

Idk about that. What data could they get with that, that they can't already get through other (cheaper) means, that would justify all the network traffic and storage space?

risencode ,

Today you learned a valuable lesson:

When an online service is free it generally means you're the product.

conti473 ,

Today companies will snoop your info even if you pay 1000s for a device.

Why wouldn't they, obviously no one cares

frostysauce ,

It's [current year], nobody is learning that lesson today. We've all known it for well over a decade now.

unwarlikeExtortion ,

It's not even online only anymore. You can't do the setup process of Android OR Windows without connecting to the Internet, and I doubt Apple's products are any better in that regard.

RampantParanoia2365 ,

I really don't understand why you find this surprising. We're you expecting like...42% of all that to be saved?

nexussapphire ,

Don't be so harsh we all gotta learn eventually. His moment is now brethren!

Lightfire228 ,

To be fair, it wasn't something most of us were thinking about in the early 2000's

Then Google became ubiquitous, to the point where we didn't question it. Like cell service

RampantParanoia2365 ,

That's very true. But not really by the time Android started.

delirious_owl , (edited )
@delirious_owl@discuss.online avatar

How do you do this?

I have a few dozen google accounts, but most of them I'm locked out of. Even if I enter the correct username and password on the first try, google says I can't login because I never associated a phone number to the account.

How can I get this data?

qaz ,

Probably a GDPR data request

Flumpkin ,

Hmm, wouldn't that make it worse? Because then you have to give your real name, no?

ChairmanMeow ,
@ChairmanMeow@programming.dev avatar

As if Google doesn't already know.

qaz , (edited )

No, most sites have a button stashed in some submenu of the account page that allows you to request your data. It’s either a legal requirement of the GDPR or they just don’t want to deals with individual email requests, I’m not exactly sure.

It usually does take a lot of time for the request to be “processed”, you usually get an email with a zip archive after about a week. I’m not sure if that’s malicious compliance.

You can also send a GDPR request to have them delete all your data, but they do have 1 month to comply and in my experience most services do take that long to “process” your request.

Keep in mind that many services hide these options for non-EU citizens.

Tywele ,

takeout.google.com

blindsight ,

That only works if you can log in. Otherwise, it would be a massive privacy problem since anyone could takeout anyone's data.

delirious_owl ,
@delirious_owl@discuss.online avatar

That tells me to login

Fisch ,
@Fisch@lemmy.ml avatar

Have the same issue on one of my accounts. I can login but when I try to do anything, I need to verify by getting a code over SMS. The thing is, the phone number on that account is an old one I don't have access to anymore. There is no other verification option, I can't delete it from my account without verification and I'm definitely not adding my actual number.

Baleine ,
@Baleine@jlai.lu avatar

Omg I shoul do that too

ooli ,

The worst part, is even when you try to avoid, you cant.

You send an email from proton, to mostly gmail account, now they have your email.

You mean your business, the guy next to you talk to google home, and you get recorded.

Every time I 'm forced to use a google account by some 3rd party, I get a panic attack from how predatory it is to get you to give them your data, you cant log out without 4 clic, it is a true dystopia we let that compagny rule our world

teamevil ,

But but but you should pay for YouTube!

risencode ,

now they have your email.

That's why you use hide-my-email aliases when you sign up to sites, so they can't tie "your" email to you anymore.

Every time I 'm forced to use a google account

Create a few junk accounts, send recovery to a hide-my-email alias

If you use password managers it really is no bother to have multiple accounts, and Proton Pass integrates hide-my-email, it's pretty neat.

glasgitarrewelt ,

Thanks for the hint with hide-my-email! I will ask my mail provider, if they offer something like this as a service.

Scolding0513 ,

dont panic. you can protect yourself. dont depend on others. you can use random email aliases for everything. always take the mindset that anything you say outside your home is public information. use throwaway phone numbers like jmp.chat if you have to use phone numbers at all. etc etc.

take the approach of compartmentalizing your identities and contact info, and take the approach of protecting your SELF first, dont depend on others. sorta like a shady arms dealer or something, but you're not dealing arms :P!

zwekihoyy ,

while, yes, regardless of your privacy settings google still collects a sickening amount of data on you, much of these things (like voice recordings and location history) can be managed and disabled in the settings. if you wish to go further, grapheneos removes A LOT of tracking potential.

these should be opt in features, but one can opt out of much of them.

delirious_owl ,
@delirious_owl@discuss.online avatar

How is it not zero on Graphene??

zwekihoyy ,

well if you have play services installed then google is gonna get some data on you.

Chakravanti ,

So does CalyxOS

anticurrent ,

Friends don't let friends use Google and meta. show those you care about what you have discovered. don't lecture them just make them aware, share your findings.

Jessvj93 ,

Also for a good read on Google and Meta, check out Jedi Blue. It's a plan that FB and Google got sued for, for manipulating ad auction timings in favor of FB on Google in exchange for FB to promise to not open a competing ad service plans. They also gave FB access to every google device with Facebook (preinstalled esp) on it. The name Jedi Blue is a reference to the Jedi mind trick, assholes.

BoisZoi ,
@BoisZoi@lemmy.ml avatar

Have you been under a rock?

suppenloeffel ,
@suppenloeffel@feddit.de avatar

I'm really not a fan of such gatekeeping rhetoric.

Congrats on already knowing stuff, I guess. The vast majority of people don't have the ability, will or exposure to engage with most technical stuff, especially since the concept of (digital) privacy still is surprisingly controversial.

We all benefit from more people caring about privacy. Comments like yours achieve the exact opposite and don't provide any value at all to the conversation.

badelf ,

I've started using Kagi search. $5/mo for a great search without selling my sh1t.

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