What Kind of Information Does Google and Facebook Have on You? from Dr. Mercola
What Kind of Information Does Google and Facebook Have on You?
April 18, 2018 • 138,786views
Story at-a-glance
Google
and Facebook are two of the largest and clearest monopolies in the
world and, between them, the harvesting of your personal information
goes far beyond what most people realize is even possible
Ninety-eight
percent of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertising, totaling $39.9
billion last year alone. The more personal information you share, the
greater Facebook’s profit stream
Cambridge
Analytica is accused of creating a system to profile individual U.S.
voters using “improperly gleaned” data from 87 million Facebook users to
target them with personalized political ads during the presidential
campaign
Google
is not only the largest monopoly in the world, it’s also the world’s
greatest artificial intelligence (AI) company, which facilitates the
company’s ability to sort through all your data with deep learning
algorithms to detect patterns that can be exploited for profit
The
data harvesting going on between Facebook and Google is enormous. A
summary of the kind of information these two corporations collect, track
and store on each and every single user is included
By Dr. Mercola
Google and Facebook are two of the largest and clearest monopolies
in the world, and between them, the harvesting of your personal
information goes far beyond what most people realize was even possible.
I have recently removed Google Search from this website and
replaced with a search engine without the privacy concerns, but has
similar capabilities. The search bar at the top of the website is the
most used and essential feature for you to research the many thousands
of pages I've published over the last 20 years.
Google catches every single thing you do online if you’re using a
Google-based feature, and Facebook has a record of everything you’ve
ever said or “liked.” All of this data is being used to build very
powerful personality profiles that are sold for profit and used in a
variety of different ways. As previously reported by Gawker:1
“Every word of every email sent through Gmail and every click
made on a Chrome browser is watched by the company. ‘We don’t need you
to type at all,’ [Google co-founder Eric] Schmidt once said. ‘We know where you are. We know where you’ve been. We can more or less know what you’re thinking about.’”
Facebook Sells Your User Data, and It Can Be Used Against You
According to CNN Money,2
98 percent of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertising, totaling $39.9
billion last year alone. The company is now facing a firestorm after
The New York Times and British media outlets reported Cambridge
Analytica used “improperly gleaned” data from 87 million Facebook users
to influence American voters.3
This is not the first time political parties have utilized facebook data without your knowledge,
and it won't be the last. Political parties will continue to fight
about who used what data to manipulate voters in the least worst way.
What is important to understand is that you and your network of friends
are being heavily watched and this data is sold with the intent to
manipulate your actions.
This manipulation is not just about
politics, it's making YOU the product. The intimate details about you,
your family and friends are being sold because it is valuable to
entities that want to influence you.
In the video above,
Cambridge Analytica data scientist Christopher Wylie, who blew the
whistle on his employer, revealing the company built “a system that
could profile individual U.S. voters in order to target them with
personalized political advertisements” during the presidential campaign.
As noted by CNN:
“If the Cambridge Analytica scandal leads to tougher data
protection regulations — as some policymakers are demanding — or puts
people off sharing as much about themselves online, that could hurt
Facebook's revenue, and that of all social media platforms.”
It’s important to realize that Google is also the world’s greatest
artificial intelligence (AI) company, having purchased Deep Mind for
$400 million several years ago. Deep Mind now employs over 700 AI
researchers, the largest collection anywhere in the world.
They are responsible for defeating the human Go champion in 2017,
which far exceeds the complexity of defeating a human chess champion.
With this level of AI, it is not hard for them to sort through all your
data with their deep learning algorithms to detect patterns that can
be exploited for profit.
What Kind of Data Does Facebook and Google Really Have on You?
In a March 30 article for The Guardian,4
Dylan Curran takes a deep dive into the data harvesting going on
between Facebook and Google, and for anyone concerned about their
privacy, the results are disconcerting to say the least. Here’s a
summary list of the kind of information these two corporations collect,
track and store on each and every single user:
Extremely detailed location tracking
If you have a Google-enabled device on your person that has
location tracking turned on, it will store the exact details of where
you are at any given moment, and this data accumulates from the
first day you started using Google on the device. To review the
details of your own data, see this Google Maps Timeline link.5
Complete search histories on all devices
Google keeps tabs on everything you’ve ever searched for, on any
device, including search histories you’ve deleted from an individual
device. To check your own search data, see Google’s MyActivity page.6
Personalized advertisement profile
Based on your data profile — location, gender, age, work and
private interests, relationship status, income, health concerns,
future plans and so on — Google creates personalized advertisements
that might interest you. Have you ever done a search for a particular
product or service and suddenly found yourself flooded with ads for
that precise thing? That’s your data profile at work. To see your
personalized ad profile, see Google’s Ads Settings.7
App usage
Do you use apps and extensions? If so, Google knows which ones
you’re using, how often, when, where and with whom you’re interacting
when you do. To see your app usage data, check out Google’s Security Permission Settings.8
YouTube history
Much can be gleaned from the types of videos you’re interested in,
and Google keeps tabs on every single one you’ve ever searched for,
watched and commented on. To review your own data, see your Youtube Feed History page.9
Facebook interactions
Like Google, Facebook records, tracks and stores every single
thing you do on Facebook: Every post, comment, “like,” private
message and file ever sent and received, contacts, friends lists,
login locations, stickers and more. Even the recurrent use of certain
words is noted and can become valuable currency for advertisers.
When Curran downloaded all of the information Facebook has stored
on him, he ended up with a 600MG file, or roughly 400,000 word
documents. For individuals who start using Facebook at a young age,
the lifetime data harvest could be inconceivably large. To view and
download your Facebook data, see Facebook’s Download Your Info page.10
Clandestine microphone access
Disturbingly, both Facebook and Google have the ability to access
your microphone without your knowledge. If you suddenly find yourself
on the receiving end of ads for products or services you just spoke
about out loud, chances are one or more apps are linked into your
microphone and are eavesdropping. Below is a video by Safer Tech
describing how to disable the microphone on your device to prevent
Facebook and Google apps from listening in.11
Clandestine webcam access
Your built-in webcam on your phone, tablet, laptop or computer can
also be accessed by various apps. To learn more about app permissions,
see “How to Master Your App Permissions So You Don’t Get Hacked — The
Full Guide,” by Heimdal Security.12
As noted in this article, “For a long time, app permissions were
something the regular PC user had no idea about. When installing new
software on a computer, we were never asked if application X could
access our web camera, our list of contacts, etc. … App
permissions may seem like a nuisance, but the better you know how they
work, the safer you can keep your data.”
Event tracking
By tracking your Google calendar entries, combined with your
location data, Google knows what events you’ve attended, when and for
how long.
Your fitness routine
If you use Google Fit, all the details about your fitness routine and
workouts, down to how many steps you’ve taken on any given day, are
recorded and stored.
A lifetime of photographic evidence
Twenty years ago, photos were a private matter, reminisced over in
photo albums and displayed around the home. Today, people’s lives
are on public display online, and Google captures it all. When
combined with facial recognition software and other technological
identification applications, including metadata detailing the time and
place of each snap, your photos are a treasure trove of private
information.
A lifetime of emails
Google also has every single email you’ve ever sent, received and deleted.
Deleted files and information
You probably delete files and information every now and then for
the sake of safety, right? You might decide to delete that list of
passwords from your phone, for example, in case you lose it or it gets
hacked. Well, Google still has all of that information.
As noted by Curran, showing a screen shot of his downloaded Google
data, “This is my Google Drive, which includes files I explicitly
deleted, including my resume, my monthly budget and all the code,
files and websites I’ve ever made, and even my PGP private key, which
I deleted, that I use to encrypt emails.”
If you’ve done it or researched it, Google and Facebook have a record of it
Like Facebook, Google allows you to download a copy of the data they
have stored on you. Curran’s personal data cache from Google was
5.5GB big, equal to about 3 million word documents. Essentially, your
Google account contains a detailed diary of everything you’ve ever
done or planned to do, and where you were when you did it. To
download your own Google cache, see Google’s Takeout page.13
How Is Your Personal Information Being Used?
Google has “your bookmarks, emails, contacts, your Google Drive
files … your YouTube videos, the photos you’ve taken on your phone,
the businesses you’ve bought from, the products you’ve bought through
Google … data from your calendar, your Google Hangout sessions, your
location history, the music you listen to, the Google books you’ve
purchased, the Google groups you’re in, the websites you’ve created,
the phones you’ve owned, the pages you’ve shared, how many steps you
walk in a day,” Curran writes, noting his own data cache included:14
“… every Google Ad I’ve ever viewed or clicked on, every app
I’ve ever launched or used and when I did it, every website I’ve ever
visited and what time I did it at, and every app I’ve ever installed or
searched for.
They also have every image I’ve ever searched for and saved,
every location I’ve ever searched for or clicked on, every news article
I’ve ever searched for or read, and every single Google search I’ve
made since 2009. And then finally, every YouTube video I’ve ever
searched for or viewed, since 2008.
This information has millions of nefarious uses. You say you’re
not a terrorist. Then how come you were Googling Isis? … Manage to gain
access to someone’s Google account? Perfect, you have a chronological
diary of everything that person has done for the last 10 years.”
Indeed, the 2013 article, “What Surveillance Valley Knows About You,”15
is an eye-opening read that may be well worth your time, describing
just how grossly invasive this data collection and distribution is, and
how dangerous it can be if you end up on certain lists. Unfortunately,
many still fail to see the problem Google presents.
Its services are useful and practical, making life easier in many
ways, and more fun in others. That’s the bait, and many have swallowed
it hook, line and sinker, not giving any thought to the ultimate price
paid for such conveniences, or simply underestimating the threat that
all of this personal data collection poses. If you fall into this
category, I ask you to give this issue some serious thought, because
monopolies threaten our very way of life, and in more ways than one.
Employees Uneasy About Militarization of Google
Google’s data harvesting is particularly concerning in light of its military connections,16
and the fact the company has repeatedly been caught infringing on
privacy rights and misrepresenting the type and amount of data it
collects and shares on its users. Make no mistake about it: Capturing
user data is Google’s primary business.17
The fact that it provides practical services while doing so only serves
as a convenient distraction from the fact that privacy violations are
taking place.
Earlier this month, more than 3,100 Google employees signed a letter
to CEO Sundar Pichai, urging him not to go ahead with plans to provide
AI technology to the Pentagon’s drone program, known as Project Maven.
As reported by Fox News,18
“Google’s AI contribution could … improve the system’s ability [to]
analyze video and potentially be used to identify targets and
civilians.” The letter also urges Pichai to establish a corporate
policy that disallows it from participating in “warfare technology.”
Email correspondence obtained via freedom of information act
requests also reveal Google has maintained an intimate relationship
with the National Security Agency (NSA) for a number of years. In 2014,
Al Jazeera19
published correspondence between NSA director general Keith Alexander
and Google executives Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt. At the time, former
NSA contractor Edward Snowden had gone public about the NSA’s ability
to spy on civilians.
In a 60 Minutes special, NSA cyberdefense chief Debora Plunkett
claimed the agency had thwarted a plot by the Chinese to capitalize on a
technical vulnerability in the basic input/output system (BIOS) of
computers sold to the U.S. System BIOS refers to the firmware that
initializes hardware activation when you start up your computer, and
provides runtime services for the operating system and various
programs. Plunkett claimed the NSA worked with computer manufacturers to
fix the vulnerability.
However, according to Al Jazeera, the NSA did “exactly what
Plunkett accused a nation-state of doing during her interview,” namely
inserting back doors into BIOS, thereby gaining access to the raw data
of any given computer. According to a 2013 article by Spiegel Online, an
internal NSA catalog reveals the agency in fact has back door access
for a number of different end-user devices.20
The Making of an Orwellian State
Some experts believe the plan to combine Alphabet-Google’s data harvesting with a military 5G network
is a very bad idea. “What could possibly go wrong with a nationalized,
dual-use, military-civilian, secure 5G wireless network to centralize
all military and civilian U.S. transportation traffic control and
management with Alphabet-Google as the only commercial wireless ISP
‘financing/anchor tenant?’ Way too much,” Scott Cleland, former White
House deputy coordinator for international communications and
information policy, writes on his blog.21
“… National Security Council Staff apparently have a network
vision for a secure 5G wireless network for the U.S. military, that is
ultimately capable of C3I (command, control, communications, and
intelligence) of the ‘total situational-awareness,’ necessary for the
21st century, ‘Internet of the Battlefield’ of integrated, autonomous
warfare of vehicles, drones and robots …
Who could compete with a new government-sanctioned,
Alphabet-Google, ‘information transportation superhighway’ monopoly?
Who’s going to watch these watchers? And what are the incorruptible
proposed checks and balances to prevent the near absolute power of a
‘Google-GoverNet’ from becoming a modern Orwellian Big Brother Inc.? …
Consumer networks are the primary security vulnerability for
national security networks. Alphabet-Google has well-documented
hostility to cybersecurity, privacy, and accountability to government.
Comingling Google’s unmatched civilian surveillance database with
military C3I artificial intelligence capabilities on the same network
is a recipe for abuse of power … And Alphabet-Google warrants antitrust
scrutiny and prosecution, not antitrust absolution.”
Protect Your Privacy by Avoiding Google and Facebook
Indeed, Alphabet, the rebranded parent company of Google and its
many divisions, has turned into an octopus-like super entity with
tentacles reaching into government, food production, health care,
education, military applications and the creation of AIs that may run
more or less independently. A key component of many of these
enterprises is incredibly detailed personal usage data.
Ultimately, your user data and personal details can be used for
everything from creating personalized advertising to AI-equipped
robotic warfare applications. As noted in previous articles, Google’s
involvement in education and health care also has far-reaching
ramifications, and in these settings your personal data could
potentially be used to influence not only your personal lifestyle
decisions but also to shape society at large.
Today, being a conscious consumer includes making wise, informed
decisions about technology, and two of the greatest personal data leaks
in your life are Google and Facebook. Here’s a summary of action steps
you can take right now, starting today, to protect your privacy. For
more information, see Goopocalypse.com’s boycott Google page.
1. Sign the “Don’t be evil” petition aimed at Google, created by Citizens Against Monopoly 2. Avoid any and all Google products:
a. Stop using Google search engines. So far, one of the best alternatives I’ve found is DuckDuckGo22 a. Uninstall Google Chrome and use the Opera browser instead, available for all computers and mobile devices.23
From a security perspective, Opera is far superior to Chrome and offers
a free VPN service (virtual private network) to further preserve your
privacy b. If you have a Gmail account, close it and open an account with a non-Google affiliated email service such as ProtonMail,24 and encrypted email service based in Switzerland c. Stop using Google docs. Digital Trends has published an article suggesting a number of alternatives25 d. If you’re a high school student, do not convert the Google accounts you created as a student into personal accounts
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