Google is a multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware. It is considered one of the Big Four technology companies, alongside @Amazon, @Apple, and @Facebook; also called @Authoritarian Technology. For all the many controversies around Facebook's mishandling of personal data, Google actually knows way more about most of us, @Axios chief tech correspondent Ina Fried reports.
- Just how much Google knows depends to some degree on your privacy settings — and to a larger degree on which devices and services you use.
- **It likely knows **everything you’ve ever typed into your browser’s search bar and every YouTube video you’ve ever watched.
- But that’s just the beginning. It may also know where you’ve been, what you’ve bought and who you communicate with. What Google collects:
- **The terms **you search.
- The videos you watch.
- Voice and audio information when you use audio features.
- Purchase activity.
- **People **with whom you communicate or share content.
- Activity on third-party sites and apps that use Google services.
- The ads and content you view on Google's sites, as well as interactions with that content.
- Chrome browsing history you’ve synced with your Google Account.
- Location data, which Google can either gather directly via GPS data or infer from other sensors and data, including IP addresses, nearby Wi-Fi routers and Bluetooth beacons.
News
- December 6, 2025 - 'Godfather of AI' says Google is 'beginning to overtake' OpenAI: 'My guess is Google will win'
References
Contexts
- #unicorn
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