Think Facebook knows a lot about you? Google is WORSE!
Think Facebook knows a lot about
you? Google is WORSE! From deleted files to location history, IT expert reveals
the extent of the personal data the search giant holds on you
·
Dylan Curran downloaded all of
the data stored on him by Facebook and Google
·
Google's data archive was almost
ten times larger than scandal hit Facebook's
·
It dated back to 2008 and revealed a level of
detail that shocked the IT expert
·
He laid out the extent of the
private information held on him in a series of tweets
·
·
Facebook has
hit the headlines in recent weeks over its handling of your private data, and
now the shocking extent of information held by Google has
been revealed.
In a
series of tweets, one IT expert has laid out exactly what the search giant
knows about him, dating back to 2008, which he describes as 'preposterous'.
It ranges
from every place he visited in the past year to every website he clicked on,
and even contained files deleted from his Google Drive cloud storage account.
The news
comes in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which saw a
Trump-affiliated firm obtaining data on 50 million unsuspecting Facebook users.
This
information was used to target voters in the US, based on psychological
profiling, with political adverts spreading disinformation.
Web
developer Dylan Curran, based in Waterford, Ireland, decided to download both
his Facebook and Google archives on Saturday.
The data
held by the world's most popular social media site was fairly large, at around
600mb, equivalent to roughly 400,000 Word documents.
But this
paled in comparison to Google's data file, which was 5.5gb, almost ten
times larger. This is around the same size as three million Word
documents.
Sharing
his findings on Twitter, in a post retweed more than 150,000 times, he said:
'Want to freak yourself out? I'm gonna show just how much of your information
the likes of Facebook and Google store about you without you even realising
it.'
·
Mr Curran found that Google was constantly tracking his location
in the background, including how long it took to travel between various points.
It also
held details about his hobbies and interests, as well as guesses on his
possible weight and income.
Speaking to NBC News,
he said: 'It's wrong to trust any entity that big with so much information.
'They're
just trying to make money,' and at some point, 'someone is going to make a
mistake.'
Read on to find out
exactly what Google knew, and how you can find out more about the specific
types of data they have on you.
Where
you've been
If you have location tracking
turned on via your smartphone, tablet or other connected device and they're
switched on, Google stores details of everywhere you've been.
For Mr
Curran, this included his travels around Ireland over the previous 12 months,
including journey times between towns and cities.
When
MailOnline decided to drill down into this data, it revealed a surprising level
of detail.
As well
as foreign travel, it included the name of a number of pubs visited, the length
of time spent in them, and the route taken to get home.
To find out what data Google stores on your travels, click here.
If you have location tracking
turned on via your Android smartphone, tablet or other connected device, Google
stores details of everywhere you've been. For Mr Curran, this included his
travels around Ireland over the previous 12 months
Events
you've attended
Google's
data files contain a complete record of your Google Calendar.
This
is broken down into all the events you've ever added, whether you actually
attended them, based on your location, and what time you attended.
Mr Curran
shared a section that shows him going for an interview for a job in marketing,
including the time he arrived.
To access your Calendar history, as well as your complete Google
data file, you need to request your Google Takeout file by clicking here.
Be aware
that, if your file is anything like Mr Curran's, this may take a long time to
download.
Google's data files containing a complete record of your Google
Calendar. Mr Curran shared a section this shows him going for an interview
for a Marketing job, including the time he arrived
WHAT IS THE CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA
SCANDAL?
Communications firms Cambridge Analytica has offices in London,
New York, Washington, as well as Brazil and Malaysia.
The company boasts it can 'find your voters and move them to
action' through data-driven campaigns and a team that includes data scientists
and behavioural psychologists.
'Within the United States alone, we have played a pivotal role
in winning presidential races as well as congressional and state elections,'
with data on more than 230 million American voters, Cambridge Analytica claims
on its website.
The company profited from a feature that meant apps could ask
for permission to access your own data as well as the data of all your Facebook
friends.
17
· The
data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix (pictured), after
recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including
boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald
Trump
This meant the company was able to mine the information of 55
million Facebook users even though just 270,000 people gave them permission to
do so.
This was designed to help them create software that can predict
and influence voters' choices at the ballot box.
The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix,
after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims,
including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of
Donald Trump.
This information is said to have been used to help the Brexit
campaign in the UK.
Google,
somewhat unsurprisingly for a search engine, records everything you search for
on the internet.
What
might shock you, however, is that this is kept on file even when you delete
your history.
Mr
Curran's log contained 90,000 different entries, even showing images he
downloaded and websites he accessed.
This
included banned torrent site ThePirateBay, which he mentions in his tweets to
illustrate how much damage this information could do if it becomes public.
Google records everything you search for on the internet, which is
kept even when you delete your history. Mr Curran's log contained 90,000
different entries, including accessing banned torrent site ThePirateBay
Google
stores search history across all your devices on a separate database.
That
means, even if you delete your search history and phone history, the search
giant still has your entire history.
To delete it permanently, you have to manually access the My Activity
log here and delete
everything.
This will
need to be done for all devices individually.
Ad topics that might interest you
Google
builds a marketing profile on you, based on a number of factors.
These
include details like your location, gender and age.
It also
includes your hobbies and both your personal and professional interests, as
revealed through your searches and web activity.
Google builds a marketing profile on you, based on a number of
factors. These include details like your location, gender and age, as well as
your hobbies and interests. Some of these seem to have been logged by a single
search or website interaction alone
In the case of Mr Curran, this
also included guesses about his relationship status, weight and income.
When
MailOnline checked this, we found a range of interests, some of which seem to
have been logged by a single search or website interaction alone.
To access your ad profile, click here.
Information you deleted and emails you sent
The
Google Takeout file also includes a record of all of the information you've
uploaded to your Google Drive account.
In Mr
Curran's, he found files he had already deleted, including past resumes and
monthly budgets.
The Google Takeout file also includes a record of all of the
information you've uploaded to your Google Drive account. In Mr Curran's, he
found files he had already deleted, including past resumes and monthly budgets
Every e-mail Mr Curran ever sent or received, including deleted and
spam messages, was also recorded
He also found all the computer
coding files and websites he'd ever made, as well as his PGP private encryption
key, which had been deleted, used to protect his e-mails.
Every
e-mail Mr Curran ever sent or received, including deleted and spam messages,
was also recorded.
To find out what files Google has from your Drive account and
email, download your Takeout file here.
The apps
you've used
Google holds information on all
the apps and browser extensions you use.
This
includes how often you use them, where you use them, and who you interact with
through them.
This can
include details like who you talk to on Facebook, what countries they are in
and even when you go to sleep.
To find out what information Google has on the apps you use, click here.
Google holds information on all the apps and browser extensions you
use. This includes, how often you use them, where you use them, and who you
interact with through them
Your YouTube history
Google
knows all of your YouTube browsing history.
This can
reveal a multitude of personal details about you, ranging from your political
and religious beliefs, to mental and physical health issues.
In Mr
Curran's case, it revealed every YouTube video he'd ever searched for or
viewed, since 2008.
To check your YouTube history file, click here.
When you worked out
If you
use Google Fit, the firm also keeps records on every time you workout.
In Mr
Curran's case, this included all the steps he'd ever taken, every time he'd
walked anywhere, as well as running and cycling.
It also
included all the times he'd recorded meditation and yoga sessions.
Mr Curran
has since deleted this information and revoked Google Fit's permissions.
If you use Google Fit, download your Takeout file to access your
records here.
If you use Google Fit, the firm also keeps records on every time
you workout or meditate. In Mr Curran's case, this included all the steps he'd
ever taken, every time he'd walked anywhere, as well as running and cycling
WHAT
HAS FACEBOOK DONE TO ADDRESS PRIVACY CONCERNS?
Facebook is giving its privacy tools a makeover as it reels from
criticisms over its data practices and faces tighter European regulations in
the coming months.
The changes won't affect Facebook's privacy policies or the
types of data it gathers about its users.
But the company hopes its 2.2 billion users will have an easier
time navigating its complex and often confusing privacy and security settings.
onths.
This image shows how the settings will appear before (left) and after (right)
the redesign
Facebook says it's trying to make the controls easier to find
and to give users a simpler way to access and download the data it collects on
them.
The announcement follows revelations that Trump-affiliated
consulting firm got data on millions of unsuspecting Facebook users.
Facebook is also facing criticism for collecting years of data
on call and text histories from Android users.
In a written statement, Erin Egan, vice president and chief
privacy officer, policy, and Ashlie Beringer, vice president and deputy general
counsel, said: 'Last week showed how much more work we need to do to enforce
our policies and help people understand how Facebook works and the choices they
have over their data.
This image shows a redesign of
Facebook's privacy tools. The changes won't affect Facebook's privacy policies
or the types of data it gathers on users, but the company hopes users will have
an easier time navigating its complex settings menus
Among the changes, Facebook is
making data settings and tools easier to find, is introducing a new privacy
shortcuts menu, and is adding tools to find, download and delete your Facebook
data
'We’ve heard loud and clear that privacy settings and other important
tools are too hard to find and that we must do more to keep people
informed.
'We’re taking additional steps in the coming weeks to put people
more in control of their privacy.
'Most of these updates have been in the works for some time, but
the events of the past several days underscore their importance.'
Among the changes, Facebook is making data settings and tools
easier to find, is introducing a new privacy shortcuts menu, and is adding
tools to find, download and delete your Facebook data.
All of
the photos you've ever taken or searched for
Mr
Curran's Takeout file includes details of all of the photos he's ever taken
with his phone.
This was
broken down by year and includes metadata on when and where he captured the
images.
It also
included every picture he'd ever searched for or saved.
This
included every location he's ever searched for or clicked on, every news
article he's ever searched for or read, and every google search he'd made since
2009.
To check your image history, download your Takeout file here.
Mr Curran's Takeout file includes details of all of the photos he's
ever taken with his phone. This was broken down by year and includes metadata
of when and where he captured the images
It also included every picture he'd ever searched for and saved.
This included every location he's ever searched for or clicked on, every news
article he's ever searched for or read, and every google search he'd made since
2009
HOW
CAN YOU STOP FACEBOOK'S ADVERTISING NETWORK TRACKING YOU ONLINE?
Part of what makes companies like Facebook and Google so
valuable, is that they oversee vast treasure troves of user data which can be
of huge benefit to brands.
For advertisers, it means they're more likely to get a higher
click-through rate on their advertisements, boosting the effectiveness of their
campaigns.
For users, it means forfeiting personal information to a variety
of unknown sources.
Thankfully, there are a number of steps that can be taken to
prevent Facebook's ad partners from following you as you browse the internet on
your phone or desktop computer.
Changing your settings on your
smartphone or tablet
If you own an iPhone or iPad, the steps to block targeted
adverts are relatively simple.
Go to Settings, tap Privacy and then scroll down to click on
Advertising.
From there, swipe the 'Limit Ad Tracking' button.
If you choose to leave the 'Limit Ad Tracking' feature off, that
means that advertisers can track your browsing behavior by assigning your
device a unique ID number, or a Identifier For Advertising.
In turn, it will be harder for ad technology companies to track
your browsing behavior.
If you own an Android phone or tablet, the process is very
similar.
Open up Settings, navigate to Accounts and Sync, select Google,
then Ads and finally, select 'Opt Out of Interest Based Ads.'
Changing your browser settings
If you're browsing the internet on Google Chrome, go to
'Settings' in the right-hand dropdown menu.
From there, click on 'Show advanced settings,' then select
Privacy.
Finally, click on 'Send a do not track request with your
browsing traffic.'
A popup on Chrome further explains what this means: 'Enabling Do
Not Track means that a request will be included with your browsing traffic.
'Any effect depends on whether a website responds to the
request, and how the request is interpreted.'
'For example, some websites may respond to this request by
showing you ads that aren't based on other websites you've visited.'
'Many websites will still collect and use your browsing data--
for example, to improve security, to provide content, services, ads, and
recommendations on their websites, and to generate reporting
statistics.'
What this means is that not all websites necessarily have to
honor 'Do Not Track' requests.
Contacting your local data
privacy alliance
Google, Facebook and Twitter are just a few of the major
corporations that are part of a number of privacy alliances that have agreed to
honor requests to stop tracking.
These are the Digital Advertising Alliance in the US, the
Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada and the European Interactive Digital
Advertising Alliance.
The websites of each of these organizations contain instructions
on how to add your details to their 'do not track' schemes.
Change your tacking settings in
Facebook
Facebook has given users of its social network the option to opt
out of ad tracking via the site.
First, log in to Facebook, go to Settings, then click on 'Ads'
in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.
Under Ad Settings, click on the button that says 'Ads on apps
and websites off of the Facebook Companies.'
Then scroll down to the bottom and select 'No.'
Facebook says that if you select that option, it means that
you'll still see ads, but 'they won't be as relevant to you.'
Additionally, you may still see ads related to your age, gender
or location.
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