It’s a trite cliché at this point, but that doesn’t make it less true: if you’re not the customer, you’re the product.
While there are some exceptions, nearly every company that offers a free service is collecting data on you and using it to serve ads (or sell to other companies that then use it to serve ads). Most of the alternatives that are on offer just aren’t as good as the Google service they replace.Īlso, if you’re replacing a Google service with another free one, you’re just getting into bed with a different company with the same problems. Unless you have very niche needs, Google Search is the best search engine and Gmail is the best free email client. If Google wasn’t offering incredible services, we’d never have the privacy nightmare we know and tolerate today. The other issue is that Google’s services are popular because they’re good like, really good. It’s certainly possible to minimize your exposure to Google, but it’s very hard to eliminate it completely unless you lock yourself in a internet-free cabin in the middle of nowhere. If your mother uses Gmail, even if you don’t, Google is still going to have your email address and-unless they’re encrypted-the emails you sent her.
Even if you don’t use any Google service yourself, just by visiting this site you’re being exposed to three of them.Īnd it’s the same with other things. The font we’re using? That’s pulled from Google. The analytics software we use to analyze our traffic? Google Analytics.
The ads on this site? They’re Google Ads. Google is everywhere, and it’s everywhere in ways you won’t always see.
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