Earlier, we wrote a blog post about Google’s privacy policy. For anyone who uses Google for online search, and especially anyone who has a Google account, it’s a pretty important issue. How much of your data is Google keeping? What does Google know about you? Data collection has been a important part of Google’s competitive advantage, and the company has tried to satisfy its users by being open about how their data is used. But how, exactly, does Google collect its data? Here are the methods that Google uses track and collect information.
- Click Tracking. Google keeps a log of all clicks made on just about every Google page. That includes ads, search results, feature clicks. They track clicks made by all users, whether you have a Google account or not.
- Forms. Google logs the time, date and location of all entries made into any text boxes on Google Websites.
- Cookies. Like many Websites, Google makes use of cookies that can track the activity of user. Not only that, but Google cookies track any Website that has Google’s Doubleclick or Adsense ads on it.
- Server Requests. Every request made to Google’s server is stored in its log files. A server request is made whenever Google is used in any capacity, whether it’s being accessed via a Web Browser, a smartphone or through a Google Desktop application.
- Javascript. Google keeps small pieces of javascript in millions of Websites on the Internet. When a user visits one of those sites, Google can glean things like the user’s browsing habits, their location and their operating system.
- Web Beacons. Google has installed many 1 pixel by 1 pixel .gifs into many checkout screens. This invisible image file can also take information from a user’s computer to Google.
