Writing Just One Search Request: Things Google Know About You

By Writing One Search Request You Let Google Know Everything About You

13:37 09 July 2018

What do you think Google knows about you? Just your search requests? It knows your personality better than you. All it needs is just you to type in one request.

 

What is the last thing that you Googled? We`re not here to judge, we`re just curious how many millions of dollars would make you agree to publish your whole search history online? It`s not a proposition, just some food for thought.

 

No matter what and when you Google, all that information goes to your personal profile. Nothing skips attention of that artificial intelligence system that guys from one the most influential IT companies use. Whether you`re looking for the ways to decorate a cake or taking a Buzzfeed quiz that will reveal what kind of cheese you`re (apparently, I`m Camembert and don`t ask me why because I`m questioning my entire existence because of that quiz), this information goes to your profile.

 

Yes, even when you clean up the browser history, all the compromising evidence doesn`t just disappear. It may be gone from your computer, but your IP address still lives, prospers, and feeds Google and social media with tons of information about you. You may delete that search request not to upset your significant other because you were wondering around your ex`s Instagram page. But every piece of additional information about you brings ultimate joy to guys from Google.

 

What did you expect from free websites? Do you think that you just pay for the Internet and that`s how you get your personal data protected? Yeah, right! Of course, Facebook and Google won`t post your browser search history on your social media account, but they do give access to this information to many people. Way too many. If you`re surfing a website that you need to pay for, at least you know that you`re safe and honestly. This feeling of being so exposed to Google marketers makes me very uncomfortable.

 

Certain websites don`t have to be super expensive to provide you with safety and some other services. I sometimes feel like a Google`s lab rat that they put under a close scrutiny. That`s why if I need anything on the Internet, I prefer choosing less stressful ways especially when it comes to studying. For example, there is always a cheap English essay writing service that you can address to rather than spreading your personal data all over the World Wide Web.

 

So how does this whole tricky and manipulative system with free websites work?

 

You Pay for It But You Don`t Know About It

 

There are thousands and millions of free websites in the mysterious yet so incredibly entertaining world of the Internet. In fact, there are 1.8 billion websites all over that sticky Web. And how come you aren`t supposed to pay for it? The Internet is a service, right? Just like massage, manicure, catering. It provides you with some goodies in the form of information (like this article), movies, music, interaction with friends on social media. And you do pay for it. With your own identity.

 

Don`t you think that if a professional psychologist looked through your browser search history, we would get the full portrait of your personality? we would know exactly what your mental state is, what your habits, preferences, and insecurities are. This is the kind of currency you pay with for the Internet.

 

When you use Facebook, for example, they log everything you do: the pages you like, the people you interact with, and even the words in your status update. This is not flash news because Mark Zuckerberg admitted it himself during his testimony at Congress. You do remember about that massive private information leakage scandal, right?

 

So that system collects information, stores it (not in a very good way as we`ve already found out), and what happens next?

 

Google, Stop Psychoanalyzing Me

 

Our true personality is something sacred to us. It seems that nobody except us knows who we are. So when somebody is trying to get to the bottom of our mind, thoughts, character traits, we feel highly uncomfortable, insecure, and vulnerable.

 

But Google and social media do that in a very subtle and gentle way. In the way that you don`t even feel like your soul is naked. They analyze gathered information and assemble a detailed profile of who you are. You must admit that these guys know you better than your mom does. What is more, they can even determine your risk tolerance and sex orientation even if you haven`t come out of the closet yet.

 

Fine, they compartmentalize it, analyze it, and keep this information from spreading all over the Internet. It doesn`t seem that bad, right? Well, those companies sell your identity to advertisers. And that`s how you sometimes wonder: “How do they know I want to buy a bicycle if I haven`t told anybody about it yet?”

 

You probably haven`t even started looking for bicycles on the web yet, but perhaps, you were Googling nice spots for cycling or you were buying some sports clothes online. The artificial intelligence system basically put two and two together and figured out your intention. And now, a bicycle brand`s ads are popping up everywhere on your webpage because that`s how you pay for the free Internet.

 

Your Personality Lives in the Matrix World

 

You`re not a human being who enjoys sunshine, a morning cup of coffee, and that moment when you press “send” after you`ve been working on an e-mail for a long time. You`re just a part of Matrix.

 

Different types of personalities of the Internet users are neatly compartmentalized into categories like, for example, risk-takers (illegal online casinos will become your mojo after a few adds) or homosexuals (and that gay bar advert will be flashing before your eyes all the time). Or it can be a cruise.

 

And this is a real-life story told by Julia Angwin, the author of the book “Dragnet Nation: A quest for privacy, security, and freedom in a world of relentless surveillance”.

 

She shares a story of a woman who starts questioning her sexuality and doesn`t tell anybody about her doubts. She is adventurous but isn`t very open about it either. One day she sees an advert of a gay cruise and gets absolutely shocked and stunned by how much the Internet knows about her.

 

It`s not only about your social media accounts but about your deeds in real life as well. Web money you use to pay for stuff, photos you get tagged in while hanging out with friends, or just a café where you check in. They know everything. These guys are like super obsessive lunatic exes who are stalking you and know about every move you take, then analyze it, and turn this information against you. This is the most invasive advertising system ever created.

 

Google Has a Front Row Seat

 

Everything that you think you do privately on the Internet, Google is familiar with. Whether it`s a healthcare website or any other websites that we`re not going to name you`re so exposed to, my friend. Every time you send an email, watch a YouTube video, or use Google Maps, this tech giant collects data about you. Yes, it`s a stalker, and it`s going to follow you everywhere. Google and Facebook are practically monetizing our personalities. And many people are okay with it.

 

But hackers can get any kind of information they want from that storage. Ethan Zuckerman, the director of the MIT Center for Civic Media, states: “Every sixth person on the planet has a Facebook account. It`s 1.6 billion people whose every move is being tracked by an online Big Brother that they chose to live under”.

 

So how much do you cost? In terms of your personal data, of course. For every user that Facebook or Google surveil they make only $12. Your relationships, health issues, your hobbies, interests, preferences, and your personality cost just 12 bucks.