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DuckDuckGo Calls Out Google Search for 'Spying' on Users After Privacy Labels Go Live
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Yeah, mainstream privacy tools are like wearing garlic around your neck to ward off bad luck. Or essential oils. Doesn't help in any visible way, might even hurt, but people will do it anyway. NordVPN is the funniest example.
If you really need to hide something, it takes effort, and most of all you have to know what you're doing.
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Google stands out more for trying to do a double standard... Still be gaining adverting revenue to track users online, while at the same time, trying to reassure those same users with Incognito mode, it's safe
It pushes them more to the front of the pack than others which actually are privacy focused companies. Eaiser to target then
The average user is too busy allowing themselves to be sold and digitally abused via Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Google products etc. to get a real informed clue about the digital world they are a part of.
I think kids today really don't care outside their little bubble of a world.
Edited to add: You have the battered wife syndrome on display in this thread. And that is from people who like to think they are informed.
Example: I know Google doesn't adhere to its own policies and has been fined numerous times for violations etc. but, they do provide good search and Gmail works well for me. That is no different than a woman saying, I know my husband hits me a lot a berates me but, he also has good days where he will be nice to me.
Alternatives to Google Maps, including Apple Maps these days, are just fine, YouTube enjoys a monopoly so you’re out of luck there, as are we all.
Apple Maps is not good for traffic information & business locations in my country (Indonesia), Waze is an option but it's owned by Google.
Following? google has been doing this since before Facebook existed.
Your post is very misleading. The Google propaganda you linked to doesn't say that Google anonymizes ALL data. The self-serving article merely states how Google anonymizes data WHEN IT CHOOSES TO DO SO. The truth is that Google has the goal of creating a virtual dossier on every person on the planet. This is why it uses a system called "Universal Identifier" where it attempt to link every bit of data to an actual person even though that data rests in a vast amount of databases that they own. Sadly, every single email, sent or received to a gmail account, every use of Google Maps, every single photo uploaded, every single web page visited, every single document put in Google docs, etc., etc., are all linked to a Universal Identified that Google doesn't disclose to you. Google uses this, for now, to have the capacity to provide the most granular picture of you to advertisers. Unfortunately, there's no limit on how they will use it in the future, or on the hackers, intel agencies, law enforcement, despotic governments, etc., that can access these virtual dossiers.
A source for this would be helpful. Google claimed to stop using Gmail data for ad personalization quite awhile back... unless I'm misunderstanding here.
This comment shows that you're way too biased on one side of this discussion. What a ridiculous comparison.
Is data privacy important? Absolutely. Do I generally agree that what Google does is problematic? Also yes. But they also tell you how they're using your data, and they're more transparent about what they're doing than any other company out there. They also provide numerous controls to turn on and off the data usage. If someone chooses to ignore that for the services they provide, then fine. But to compare the anonymized data utilization with abusing a spouse is just plain ridiculous. I'm sure that's not what you intended, but to throw out that condition as a comparison at least puts you on that path.
I spent a year trying to de-Google my life, and guess what, I realized I had less control over my data at that point. Why? Because so many other companies, even some of the most privacy focused ones, do a piss-poor job of disclosing what they're doing with your data beyond extremely general and vague claims. And they give little to no control either.
The point is there is balance here. One side isn't all right and one side isn't all wrong. Google needs to be kept in check, for sure. But what they're doing isn't 100% evil, in the same way Apple (and DDG) isn't 100% good.
Yeah, your iPhone doesn’t collect and send any data to Apple at all.... only google does.... ? 👀
Over the course of the last several weeks, Google has been adding App Privacy labels to its iOS apps in accordance with Apple's App Store rules, but it took Google multiple months to begin sharing the information.
There was speculation that Google's delay meant that it had something to hide, which DuckDuckGo is leaning into with a new tweet that highlights Google's data collection and calls out the company for "spying" on users.
Google recently added App Privacy labels to its Google Search app, spelling out the extent of information that's collected. For third-party advertising purposes, Google collects data that includes location, search history, and browsing history. Google's own marketing data includes all of the above information along with contact info and device identifiers, plus there's even more data collected for analytics, app functionality, and product personalization.
DuckDuckGo claims that Google "wanted to hide" the information that it collects, which is why Google took so long to roll out support for App Privacy labels. Most people are likely not surprised at the extent of the data that Google collects, but having it in one spot in the App Store is a stark reminder.
Many of Google's major apps did not start getting privacy labels until late in February, even though Apple's rule went into effect in December. Google delayed adding the labels for so long that its apps went more than two months without being updated. Even now, it's been three months since the Google Maps app has been updated, though most other apps have now received App Privacy labels and updates.
DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search and browser option that's available on iOS devices and that can be set as the default search engine option. As DuckDuckGo points out in its tweet, the DuckDuckGo app does not collect data that's linked to you.
Article Link: DuckDuckGo Calls Out Google Search for 'Spying' on Users After Privacy Labels Go Live
I started using DDG when Google stopped playing nice with my VPN. The results still aren’t as complete as what Google returns, but hopefully over time it will get better. It’s a lot better than I thought it would be so I guess that’s a win...lol.
I was shocked when the IT guy at the hospital I used to work for showed me the server for chrome that was running in the background and transmitting data even while chrome wasn’t running. He had to delete it several times a day, because they could no longer block employees from downloading it.
It gives a "letter grade" privacy rating for each website you visit. It gives MacRumors a "D"!!! Probably because it does not have privacy practices spelled out. It blocked 4 trackers. Privacy Badger caught a 6 trackers here on macrumors. But that is not uncommon. All websites have trackers of some sorts.
