When I realized just how much information that Google and Facebook were taking from me and saving and selling to companies, I decided to take my security into my own hands and do something about it. I started by deleting my FaceBook account. FaceBook tracks and has access to my phone, computer, photos, browsing history, current location, etc. I no longer have a FaceBook account because of this, and I am happy with my decision.
“Facebook vs Google” by theglobalpanorama is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
According to this article, FaceBook admits that it collects content, communications, and other information. This information includes photographs, videos, accounts, hashtags, and groups we are connected to. It notes what posts, videos, and other content that we view and even collects our payment information, including credit or debit card number, billing, and shipping info. The social network tracks us on our mobile phones if we give permission, meaning the social network knows where we are, even with the app closed. It also leaves “cookie” data on our devices for tracking “to create personalized products that are unique and relevant to us.”
“duckduckgo” by laboratoriolinux is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
I deleted Google as my web browser, and I am now using DuckDuckGo as my default browser. I deleted Google because I learned that according to this article, the data they collect includes tracking where you are, what applications you have installed, when you use them, what you use them for, access to your webcam and microphone at any time, your contacts, your emails, your calendar, your call history, the messages you send and receive, the files you download, the games you play, your photos, videos, music, search history, browsing history, etc. Google even somehow has information that I have deleted. How is this even possible?
“google error” by Gábor Farkas is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
When I learned that this information storage was happening, I wanted to find out exactly what information Google had saved on me. Do you know that Google actually offers you an option to download all of the data that they have stored on you? It is called Google Takeout. If you would like to get a list of all of the information that Google has stored on you, click on this link to see your data: google.com/takeout. I decided to download the information that Google has stored on me, and I received the following message, “This process can take a long time (possibly hours or days) to complete. You’ll receive an email when your export is done.” It is terrifying to know that they have so much information on me that it could take several days to complete the download process.
If finding out this information disturbs you, please be sure to do your own research on social media platforms and search engines to find out what data they are taking from you and storing. Please also be sure to read, “How to Manage Your Privacy Settings On Social Media.” This article outlines how to manage your social media privacy settings on social networks. The networks highlighted include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
