Take a peak into your digital identity
Chances are you haven’t given much thought to your digital identity or Digital Me up until the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Yet, this valuable asset is what most digitalized companies are throwing money at to make a profit. And it’s no surprise that those racking in the most money are none other than Facebook and Google. We are well aware of Facebook’s hunger for data and the problems that have ensued due to this. So, in this article I will focus on Google.
How much does Google actually know about you? Turns out, a lot. It’s no big mystery that Google collects data about us. However, most of us would rather just yield to the behemoth in order to use their products. You have to admit, Maps, Gmail, Docs and Assistant (to name a few) are amazing pieces of software. And they are… free? Of course not. In order for us to use these products, Google has to make some money somehow: by advertising to us.
It turns out, Google is trying very hard to personalize ads to you. So much so that they are collecting pretty much every “byte” of data they can get their hands on. And they are fairly open about this. According to their privacy page, they track: “things you do” such as websites you visit, your location, IP address and YouTube videos you watch; “things you create” such as calendar events, photos, videos, and every single document on Docs; and “things that make you… ‘you’?”. So fundamentally, all your personal identification details.
Let’s break it down. Assuming you browse with your Google account either on Chrome or elsewhere and have enabled personalized ads, you’re in for an eye-opener. Recently, Google updated their Ad Settings page, where you can see how and why certain ads are shown to you. Take a glance. It’s the tip of the iceberg for what Google knows about you.
Mine was pretty spot on.
“Google doesn’t sell your personal information to anyone”, is something they have emphasized in numerous public statements. Yet, some of us don’t feel too easy having our personal data sitting in someone else’s computer.
On the bright side, we can have some control over our data. Google allows you to download most of your collected data. Be warned though, it’s a lot. However, once you are in possession of your data, you have (almost) full control over it. Google will still keep their copy of course, unless you delete your account altogether.
What can you do with your data? At the moment there isn’t much you can do. But please don’t sell it on eBay like Oli Frost did. Once a decentralized data analysis marketplace is available, you will be able to participate with your data without losing your privacy and anonymity. We, at MADANA, are working hard to make this happen. So bear with us.
