What is the point of connecting your Google account on online accounts.
- Thread starter Pops6810
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Terminal Velocity
Well-Known Member
Keep Google informed for your activity on the internet, besides Google what else are you doing?
I am a Podcaster
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
Well....by connecting your account, google will then know all about that portion of your activities....on top of everything else they know. they will tell you this is to help them to help you
The truth of the matter is it helps them to target you with more advertising and therefore to potentially make money from your every move.
The truth of the matter is it helps them to target you with more advertising and therefore to potentially make money from your every move.
It enables you to use Google's services without having to login, so you can keep connected and share things among those services.
Or course, they collect your data.
Though, on the other hand, we hear about all sorts of breaches that result in a loss of personal data. Google hasn't really had that happen - yet.
They use this data to tailor ads to you. They also use this data in aggregate format to understand the behavior of people, such as those they consider your peers/like-minded persons.
I use Google and Gmail. I use their online storage for some encrypted file backups. I'm okay with 'em tracking my behavior. They're easy enough to avoid if I have any complaints or want some privacy. I absolutely love their tailored search results. They're great - and I've done plenty of A/B testing to conclude that I am happy with 'em.
Just, you know, you're being tracked. Meh... If I want to hide, I hide. I mostly don't care and I'm happy with what I get in return. I consider it an exchange worth making. It's up to you to decide your viewpoint on the matter.
Or course, they collect your data.
Though, on the other hand, we hear about all sorts of breaches that result in a loss of personal data. Google hasn't really had that happen - yet.
They use this data to tailor ads to you. They also use this data in aggregate format to understand the behavior of people, such as those they consider your peers/like-minded persons.
I use Google and Gmail. I use their online storage for some encrypted file backups. I'm okay with 'em tracking my behavior. They're easy enough to avoid if I have any complaints or want some privacy. I absolutely love their tailored search results. They're great - and I've done plenty of A/B testing to conclude that I am happy with 'em.
Just, you know, you're being tracked. Meh... If I want to hide, I hide. I mostly don't care and I'm happy with what I get in return. I consider it an exchange worth making. It's up to you to decide your viewpoint on the matter.
KGIII wrote:
Google's search results have also surpassed any other search engine in my case, after many repeated comparisons over the years. In the olden days if a search was unsatisfactory from altavista, lycos or yahoo etc., one could use an aggregating search engine like dogpile which appeared to put a bunch of other search engine's results all efficiently in one place, but today I find google covers it, even though dogpile is still going, as a "meta" search engine.
Google's search results have also surpassed any other search engine in my case, after many repeated comparisons over the years. In the olden days if a search was unsatisfactory from altavista, lycos or yahoo etc., one could use an aggregating search engine like dogpile which appeared to put a bunch of other search engine's results all efficiently in one place, but today I find google covers it, even though dogpile is still going, as a "meta" search engine.
They censor what they don't want you to see or know, but mostly only when it comes to political issues, although finding good info on certain other topics is hard to find also unless you know exactly what keywords to use. Looking up all those computer acronyms and other arcane terminology is what makes them useful to me.
I just stay signed out and all is good AFA tracking goes. But they're linked with YT and a few other major sites so if you sign in there you sign back into Google.
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
is not to make your life easier, it so google can collect even more information on you,
have you used duck duck go,
As you are new, I'll make sure you're aware that politics is a taboo subject here. As are religion and things of a sexual nature (such as sexuality).
It's not that you're violating the rules, I'm just making sure you're aware.
Google bought Altavista then fly up...
Despite all the notoriety I am still stuck with Google because of speed. Most of other browsers I tried, sometimes, take long breaks for no reasons.
I avoid the large company free authenticated services as much as possible. Those are the services where you must log in to use the service. I never had a Gmail or Facebook account, for example. Search does not require you to log in, but I resort to Google search only after trying multiple searches with other tools.
Avoiding political to state some basic facts:
I harbor no illusions about how much those companies know about me and my activities, even in real time. They see me interact with their members and the contents of those interactions. They get data from many sources and are very skilled at finding relationships, correlations, trends, changes, and more despite the fact that I do not use their authenticated services directly. Those facts are not controversial or disputed.
-> My advice is log out and delete cookies/tracking when you are finished using their service. Stay logged out unless you need a service they provide. They collect a lot of data from you anyway. Why give them more?
Avoiding political to state some basic facts:
I harbor no illusions about how much those companies know about me and my activities, even in real time. They see me interact with their members and the contents of those interactions. They get data from many sources and are very skilled at finding relationships, correlations, trends, changes, and more despite the fact that I do not use their authenticated services directly. Those facts are not controversial or disputed.
-> My advice is log out and delete cookies/tracking when you are finished using their service. Stay logged out unless you need a service they provide. They collect a lot of data from you anyway. Why give them more?
D
Deleted member 108694
Guest
Here is a list of private search engines
restoreprivacy.com
10 Best Private Search Engines in 2023 (Secure + No Logs)
Using a private search engine is critical if you want to keep your private data secure. Here are the best private search engines.
restoreprivacy.com
Or startpage.com
They provide search results from Google. Whoogle is better though.
Most folks in the Linux ecosphere loathe 'Big Brother'. I've had an a/c with them since time out of mind (certainly back in the very late 90s, anyway).
So they've got as much data on me as a stack of Bibles. So what? I make full use of their suite of online apps, and always have done.....they just work, and that's good enough for me.
I couldn't care less if I'm the product. I know there's no such thing as a "free lunch", but in my opinion, too many folks go out of their way to protest & make out they're martyrs for deliberately using obscure services.....just to 'snub' Big Brother.
It's become fashionable to do so. What price "freedom", huh?
(And if saying so lowers my credibility in everybody's eyes, well.....sheesh. Having said which, my day-to-day search engine has been DuckDuckGo for years.... Go figure.)
Mike.
So they've got as much data on me as a stack of Bibles. So what? I make full use of their suite of online apps, and always have done.....they just work, and that's good enough for me.
I couldn't care less if I'm the product. I know there's no such thing as a "free lunch", but in my opinion, too many folks go out of their way to protest & make out they're martyrs for deliberately using obscure services.....just to 'snub' Big Brother.
It's become fashionable to do so. What price "freedom", huh?
(And if saying so lowers my credibility in everybody's eyes, well.....sheesh. Having said which, my day-to-day search engine has been DuckDuckGo for years.... Go figure.)
Mike.
Hmm... It might be my memory that's faulty, but I don't recall being able to have a Google account of any kind prior to the release of Gmail, which was on April 1st, 2004.
Yup. Google knows exactly who I am. I am fine with that. I get good things in return and they've been pretty good at keeping my data private. (They base ads on aggregate data and third parties target groups of people with different demographics.)
I get very useful search results, 'cause Google knows so much about me. They don't even recommend Windows stuff all that often. Heck, they've been better stewards of my data than so many others.
Terminal Velocity
Well-Known Member
Google share your detailed data with who ever asks for you, they offer all the information they have for individuals as part of lobbying around the world
That doesn't appear to be true. I've been on the opposite side, buying ads from Google. You only get aggregate data, not personal profiles. (I used to be a partner in a project that involved a fairly popular music site.)
@KGIII :-
Ah, you could be right. Maybe it WAS the early 2000s; I know it's been a long time.....a couple of decades, at least.
I'm like you; I'm fine with them collecting data on me. I have no problem with that. My point is that, to my way of thinking, a lot of the dislike toward "Big Brother" in the open-source community is posturing; going along with the herd to be thought of AS one of the herd. Too many folks meekly go along with the general consensus, and seem to be afraid to voice their real opinion.
You DO get good stuff in return. I've never really had any fault to find with them, and a lot of the 'issues' that get laid at Google's feet ('cos it IS fashionable to bash 'em, I don't care what anyone says) often turn out to be beyond even their sphere of influence. I'm 'neutral' where Google are concerned; I'm neither 'anti-Google' OR especially 'pro-Google', but I do make considerable use of their services.....which have served me well over the years.
Mike.
Ah, you could be right. Maybe it WAS the early 2000s; I know it's been a long time.....a couple of decades, at least.
I'm like you; I'm fine with them collecting data on me. I have no problem with that. My point is that, to my way of thinking, a lot of the dislike toward "Big Brother" in the open-source community is posturing; going along with the herd to be thought of AS one of the herd. Too many folks meekly go along with the general consensus, and seem to be afraid to voice their real opinion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You DO get good stuff in return. I've never really had any fault to find with them, and a lot of the 'issues' that get laid at Google's feet ('cos it IS fashionable to bash 'em, I don't care what anyone says) often turn out to be beyond even their sphere of influence. I'm 'neutral' where Google are concerned; I'm neither 'anti-Google' OR especially 'pro-Google', but I do make considerable use of their services.....which have served me well over the years.
Mike.
I don't care so much from the "Big Brother" 1984 profiling perspective.
They already have all that info on all of us. Not much we can do about it.
I do care from the perspective, that some vendors ( Apple especially ) want to
"own" my data. I have get my pictures, my songs, my documents from their cloud.
I have to pay for their subscriptions in order to use "my stuff".
In many cases, if there is no internet, I can't get to my data.
I keep my data local. I don't use OneFrive, GoogleDrive, etc... unless I have to,
and that's only for work/business data.
They already have all that info on all of us. Not much we can do about it.
I do care from the perspective, that some vendors ( Apple especially ) want to
"own" my data. I have get my pictures, my songs, my documents from their cloud.
I have to pay for their subscriptions in order to use "my stuff".
In many cases, if there is no internet, I can't get to my data.
I keep my data local. I don't use OneFrive, GoogleDrive, etc... unless I have to,
and that's only for work/business data.
