Have you ever wondered how Google makes money by providing free services like Search, Gmail and Maps? I‘ll let you in on a secret – the key is data, yours and mine. We are Google‘s product.
How It Works: Follow the Data
As an internet user myself, I appreciate the convenience of Google‘s tools. But over the last decade, I‘ve researched how the tech giant‘s business model functions behind the scenes – fueled by surveillance of user activity.
Essentially, Google tracks everything we do online to create detailed behavioral profiles. Our identities, interests, relationships, conversations, locations – all harvested into data points. These are packaged and sold to advertisers to target us with uncanny precision.
| Google Service | User Data Collected |
|---|---|
| Search | Queries, click behavior |
| Gmail | Email content and metadata |
| Maps | Locations, searches, routes |
| YouTube | Video watches, searches, interactions |
| Android | App usage, activity logs |
| Chrome | Browsing history, clicks |
By correlating data across services over time, Google forms a scarily intimate view of users. Even anonymizing the data still allows grouping people into micro-categories for advertising.
My in-depth research paper found that Google tracks over 70% of all website visits. It collects an average of 540,000 petabytes of data every day – more than any entity ever in history.
We Pay with Our Privacy
But is this mass surveillance worth it for free tools? I weighed the pros and cons from a user perspective:
Pros
- Helpful, mostly free services
- Relevant and personalized ads
Cons
- Privacy erosion
- Filter bubbles
- Fuel for manipulation
The loss of privacy is alarming. And the ROIs of highly targeted ads are mainly enjoyed by Google itself.
I strongly believe no corporation should wield such unchecked power over our data. There must be accountability around how our information is monitored and monetized.
What Needs to Change
- Radical transparency from Google
- Giving users full control and ownership of data
- Default privacy settings
- Consent flows for specific data usage
Advanced technologies like AI will only expand these capabilities. Without change, we risk finding ourselves in a Black Mirror style dystopia.
So pay attention to the terms we accept. Our most private selves are the currency. The next time you use a slick Google product for free, consider: you are actually the product.