2022 Google News

A new analysis of how people are tracked on the internet confirms that wherever you lead, Big Tech will follow – and, Big Tech doesn’t always ask your permission. 

According to an analysis by StockApps, the titan of tracking is Google. Out of the five major digital firms – Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Apple – Google mines the biggest chunk of data on its users at 39 different data points.

On top of the company's tracking being considerable, it's also concerning. Earlier this year, four state attorneys general sued Google over its tracking policies

“Most people do not have the time or patience to read privacy policies that can be several pages long for each website they visit,” StockApps’ Edith Reads said. 

“Also, it is quite unlikely that all users have a background in law to properly grasp the privacy policy. Besides, users lack time, patience, or energy to try to figure out what information websites are storing and how they are using it to their advantage. As a result, users end up allowing Google to harvest all the data they need by agreeing to the privacy policy terms.”

How to stop Google in its tracks

The analysts say other than random user information, Google also silos a considerable amount of data on several domains running from users' specific location to their browser history. Moreover, it stores user activity on third-party websites or apps and emails on users' Gmail accounts.

What can Google users do to try and keep Google’s prying eyes off their data? ConsumerAffairs reached out to several experts and here are their suggestions:

Turn off location tracking: Location tracking is important to Google because it’s part of what it can collect, and then offer to advertisers and vendors who want to provide a better user experience or feed information that might be of more interest to the user, says Jon Clay, VP of Threat Intelligence at Trend Micro. 

“But it also comes at a cost of privacy. In many cases, these companies may sell the information to other businesses that will use it as well. Many users may not want this invasion of their privacy and want to opt-out of this type of data gathering.”

He said that turning off location tracking has both a good side and a bad one. “As an example, one trade-off would be that the user wouldn’t have the ability to utilize location services when they need them.” 

To test Clay’s point, when ConsumerAffairs looked at what phone apps had “location” turned on as part of an app’s permission, there were several that did help a consumer get to, say, the closest CVS or Costco store. Turning those off if you always use the same store location might make sense. 

Consider changing your browser: "Your choice of browser matters,” Melissa Johnson, a content marketing and SEO specialist at MerchantMaverick, suggested.

“Using Chrome, especially while signed in, is one of the simplest ways to allow Google to track your movements and searches. Using Incognito by default limits some of this, but a better option is to switch to a browser such as Firefox Focus, which is designed specifically to limit tracking and protect privacy,” Johnson said. 

Clay added that DuckDuckGo – which claims that it never tracks anyone – is another viable search engine alternative.

Change your ad personalization settings: “One of the ways Google tracks users is to provide them with personalized advertisements. While sometimes personalized ads can be helpful in providing you with information about products and services you're most interested in, their tracking isn't 100% perfect,” Irene Muchai, Business Development Director at Online Optimism, said.

Muchai suggests that users turn off certain factors that Google thinks they are interested in. She said the steps are simple: go to Google Ad Settings then Ad Personalization and switch off any attributes that aren't relevant to you or turn them all off entirely.

“By doing so, Google won't track any behaviors you may exhibit online based on certain factors or just won't track you at all so your ads will no longer be as personalized as they once were,” Muchai noted.

Heads up, Google Chrome users! A bug of the worst kind has been discovered lurking in Chrome, one that’s being exploited by hackers worldwide.

To address the issue, Google released a “Stable Channel Update for Desktop” earlier this week. Updating a user’s Chrome browser software with that fix will bring Chrome to version 104.0.5112.102/101 on Windows and version 104.0.5112.101 on Mac and Linux operating systems. 

This is the second major warning Google has had to send to Chrome users in the last four months.

Mashable reports that the update is designed to be automatically installed on a user’s Chrome browser, but if it hasn't, they can initiate the update by going to Chrome's "About" menu. The report notes that the issue being patched may be tied to stopping malicious websites from “executing arbitrary code on your machine, among other problems.”

If you think surfing the web in Google’s “Incognito Mode” keeps you disguised, then you are mistaken. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says the feature still allows Google to track and collect data on consumers when they're browsing.

On Friday, he filed an amended petition that adds Incognito Mode to his previous geolocation-related lawsuit against the tech giant. 

Google’s definition of Incognito Mode states that it can "help keep your browsing private from other people who use your device." It also tells users that a site or Google service may remember their activity if they sign in while using Incognito Mode. However, Paxton says the company implicitly tells consumers that it will not track their search history or location activity.  

Paxton vs. Google... again

Paxton doesn't appear to be a big fan of Google. In this lawsuit – his fifth against Google – he tries to make the point that the company hoodwinked consumers by tracking their personal location without their consent. He said Google continued to track users after they had disabled the feature in many cases, which constitutes a violation of Texas' Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The Texas attorney-general isn't buying Google’s “you’re in control” pledge one bit. He further alleges that Google’s representations that users can avoid having their internet search and activity history recorded by using Incognito Mode are misleading.

“Google claims to give users control and to respect their choice but in reality, regardless of the settings users select, the Big Tech giant is still hard at work collecting and monetizing the location and other personal information that users seek to keep private,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I am not going to let Google succeed in deceiving Texans.” 

Google’s been down this road before

This is not Google’s first incognito rodeo. In 2020, the company was sued for allegedly allowing websites visited on Chrome to collect personal information while Incognito Mode was active. The complaint argued that Google “cannot continue to engage in the covert and unauthorized data collection from virtually every American with a computer or phone.” 

“Google knows who your friends are, what your hobbies are, what you like to eat, what movies you watch, where and when you like to shop, what your favorite vacation destinations are, what your favorite color is, and even the most intimate and potentially embarrassing things you browse on the internet — regardless of whether you follow Google’s advice to keep your activities ‘private,’” the complaint stated. 

ConsumerAffairs reached out to Google for comment, but the company did not immediately respond to our request.

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Update 

A Google spokesperson responded to ConsumerAffairs' request for comment after publication of this story. 

"The Attorney General’s case is, once again, based on inaccurate claims and outdated assertions about our settings. We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data. We strongly dispute these claims and will vigorously defend ourselves to set the record straight," they said in response to the suit.

One day after Texas sued Meta over its face recognition software, Alphabet – Google's parent company – announced major changes to how it deals with user privacy.

Specifically, the company said it plans to limit how apps track users on its Android smartphone platform. The move is in line with Apple’s recent restraints on how advertisers track consumer behavior on iPhones.

Over the next two years, Google said it plans to replace the current system used to identify users with one that is more mindful of users’ privacy. Not coincidently, the move comes as regulators take aim at Big Tech and as consumers express more concern about privacy.

Walking a fine line

When it comes to regulators, Julie Rubash, chief privacy counsel at data privacy firm Sourcepoint, says the government has to walk a fine line.

“Regulation and enforcement, when it comes to artificial intelligence require a delicate balance to address the potential harms that could come from misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) without stifling the potential benefits to society that could be gained from this powerful technology,” Rubash told ConsumerAffairs. 

Rubash says advances in AI, when used properly, could provide consumers with highly personalized product experiences that actually improve lives instead of merely selling a product.

“Imagine the benefits of a car that understands and adapts to your driving patterns, medical technology that adapts based on your medical history, and educational tools that understand how your child learns,” she said.

What regulators have to be concerned about, Rubash says, is how this powerful technology could be harmful, such as its potential to lead to exploitation, unfair decision-making, discrimination, or unwanted disclosures. 

Looking at the big picture

Heather Federman, chief privacy officer at data intelligence company BigID, agrees that there are many aspects of technology advancements that are positive. She also agrees that regulators need to see the big picture.

“The concern is around what the tech companies deploying these technologies actually do with the data output,” Federman told ConsumerAffairs. “Are they sharing this information with data brokers to make credit and employment eligibility decisions about us? Or are they using it to build even better technologies that benefit society overall?”

The question, says Federman, comes down to how the data is used and whether that use is responsible.

Rubash says Big Tech and regulators should both have the goal of putting control in the hands of the consumer through clear, easy-to-understand, easy-to-exercise decisions. 

“Consumers should have the right to decide for themselves whether they want the products they interact with to adapt to their driving habits, medical history, learning styles, and other characteristics and preferences,” she said.