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Posts Tagged ‘Google’

How Much Data Does Google Store About Me?

December 8th, 2009 Gregg Housh No comments

There is no question about the impact of Google on the way we interact with the internet. Beginning with a simple yet powerful search engine, Google has grown through development and purchase of other tech companies into the biggest technological conglomerate since Microsoft. It’s no coincidence that “to google” is understood to mean “to perform an online search” in common slang. Many services provided by Google are widely recognized as being at the forefront of their respective fields, whether it’s video sharing through YouTube or the resource-laden email experience through Gmail. This is in part because of the tremendous amount of data Google collects and shares across its different products.

Any ubiquitous business is going to face criticism — some of it deservedly — and Google is no exception. Where Microsoft is widely lambasted for poor quality control in certain circles, it’s Google’s attitude towards information gathering that has some groups concerned. Google makes no secret of the information that it gathers, but it can be difficult for some users to understand what they are agreeing to when they allow Google to store data about their activities online.

To help make the whole process more transparent, Google has unveiled another product in its vast empire: Google Dashboard. Dashboard is a helpful tracker that sums up the information Google has collected about your profile in one place. It includes everything from the latest search you performed to the number of emails sitting in your Gmail account at the moment. While this is a huge amount of information, there are a couple important things to remember. The first is that Google only has information about what you do while on their services and while you’re logged in. Google will have information about which YouTube videos you have favorited, but not the ones you have “liked” through Vimeo. Similarly, if you have both a Gmail and an AOL email address, Google will only have information about the Gmail account you maintain with them.

To view your Google Dashboard, visit http://google.com/dashboard. You’ll need to re-enter your password even if you’re already signed in to a Google account. Once there, you can see the information stored with your account. You will also see links next to every section about privacy policy and how to change your privacy settings. You can also delete information Google has been storing about your account.

The sheer amount of data Google stores is staggering, but it’s important to remember that much of this data is only ever used in the form of aggregated, non-personal information. That is to say, Google doesn’t tell third party advertizers that one specific user searched for “little black dress” but rather the overall trend of users searching for that term in a geographic area or timeframe. In the same vein, Google does not share the contents of your emails or chats. You can read all of the Google privacy policy at http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacypolicy.html.

The safety of your computer and data has always been our first priority. While we believe that you should be aware of the information that you should be aware of what data you are sharing with others, we in no way want to give the impression that you should stop using Google or Google products. Dashboard is a useful tool to analyze and manage the information you are sharing with Google, and it’s another way the company is attempting to honor their responsibility to protect their users privacy. If you need help understanding Google’s Dashboard or privacy policy and what it means to you, or if you have other concerns about online privacy you should call a professional.

The author of this article works at a nationwide Computer Repair company. At Geek Choice we solve computer problems such as: Slow computer, Virus Removal, and much more.

Do You Google search To Locate People?

October 24th, 2009 Marc Marseille No comments

The aptitude to hide behind a phone call without revealing your personal data is just about over. lookup engines like Google has evolved as a way to locate personal data on just about anyone.

Substitute lookup engine has emerged as a quicker more handy way to discover someone. Going immediately to the source eliminates having to go through thousand of results from Google that may or may not prove profitable.

It use to be that if you did not want your number to appear, you could block your phone number. That scenario has also become obsolete. There are ways that the recipient of the phone call can set their phone not to accept your phone calls if it comes in as restricted.

The new alternative search engines has changed the way people approach using the telephone. Crank callers especially have to take notice because anyone can retrieve valuable information as to who is behind the constant harassing phone calls. I guess the new ways to Google for people information online has definitely got rid of some of the nonsense of the past.

The accessibility to track people on google or by using alternative search engines is not all for tracking criminal activity.The convenience of being able to locate someone can also be used to find lost friends or maybe an a relative that you had lost contact with. The whole process takes a matter of minutes so there really is no inconvenience.

In addition to the convenience of using people search search engines is the wealth of information you actually are privileged to. You will be able to search for people even if they are not located in your state. This is information that was only available to law inforcement and private investigators.

Most alternative people search engines have an annual fee which is usually under fifty dollars. The fee charged will allow you to do unlimited searches for one calendar year. In the past fifty dollar would of only covered the hourly fee that your private investigator charges.

It does not matter what the reasons are for your interest in using an alternative search engine to perform a people search. Whether it is to locate friends or deter stalkers, the availability of the valued information is definitely a convenience.

If you are looking to find address of old friends, then you should first visit address search.

categories: search engine,people,database,reference,communication,legal,law enforcement,information,crime prevention,Google,safety,security,internet,technology