Google earned $39 billion dollars in ad revenue in the last of quarter of 2018. In fact, they’ve earned over $30 billion in ad revenue all four quarters for the past two years. Have you ever wondered how they earned this much money with all of their “free” consumer products?
I have. And I’ve done a bit of research based on my curiosity. Here’s the simple answer to that question: you are the goldmine that makes Google rich.
They make money from the information you “freely” share online. They collect information about you every time you do a Google search; watch a YouTube video; check your Gmail account; use your Android phone; and use any of their mapping services. They know the websites you visit, your shopping habits, the links you click, people you contact, as well as the keywords you enter to find information. And they sell this information to advertisers.
I’m sure they’ve gathered even more information about you through their home products like Google Home, but we are focusing on online tools and activity in this post.
Let’s look into how this works. In addition to information collected from research, I’m going to include my experiences and interactions with Google products and services.
The Power of Google
First, you can’t use any of their products without a Gmail account. I read a few articles reporting that Googles goes through your account to collect data about you, which they use to get paid.
I’ve also read that the company no longer does that but third party apps can read your Gmail messages. I don’t know if they profit from the information they read, but they have access.
Second, you cannot use your Android phone without a Gmail account, even though you have paid for the device and the service. Now, that’s pimpin’. As soon as you turn on your new device, you are asked for your Gmail account information. If you don’t have one, you are prompted to set one up.
Third, they track all of your YouTube activity. They know what you watch; log your watch history; and make suggestions based on your search and viewing history. You can watch videos without a Gmail account, but you can’t upload them or leave comments without it.
Fourth, they track all of the websites you visit when you “Google” anything. The keywords and terms you use to search online are also stored. That’s why you see ads on websites you visit online and on your mobile device – days, weeks and even months later.
Fifth, they know your whereabouts through Google Maps. With my Galaxy 9, they automatically activated the location feature. I had to disable it. However, I had the option to turn the location feature on my Galaxy 5. Know this, your location is being tracked even if you’re not using maps.
Sixth, Google Photos do waaaay too much. While I appreciate the automatic backup of photos, it’s annoying to get messages that a video was created and other things where done with my photos without my consent. Some people may like this; I don’t. It’s another layer of privacy and permission taken away.
Seventh, when I upgraded to Galaxy 9, my device was automatically added to online programs that were connected to my Gmail account, some of which I hadn’t used in years. This was without my consent. I would have preferred the option to add my device to the accounts I want.
Eighth, your house can be found and viewed from Google Earth. This is a total and complete violation of any real or perceived form of personal safety. Be sure to check it out after reading this post.
And they’re so powerful that the word “Google” used to be a noun; now it’s used as a verb. People don’t say, “I’m going to look this up on Google.” Nope, they say “Google it.”
All of the above-mentioned Google tools are free to consumers. With each search and click, you are “freely” giving away your personal information and privacy, while Google is profiting from your information. Now, that’s power.
What About You?
Which Google tools do you use? Have you experienced anything that made you suspicious or uncomfortable with them?
Image credit: Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash