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A detailed look at how Google (Alphabet) collects, stores, and uses your personal data.
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Terrible
Google (Alphabet)'s privacy score of 18/100 reflects their data collection practices, transparency, incident history, and user control options. This score indicates significant privacy concerns that users should be aware of.
Google+ data breach (2018): A bug exposed private profile data of up to 52.5 million users. Google concealed the breach for months before disclosure and subsequently shut down Google+.
In 2019, Google was fined 50 million euros by France's CNIL for lack of transparency and valid consent in how it processed user data for ad personalization.
Google settled a $5 billion lawsuit in 2024 over secretly tracking users' internet activity even when they used Chrome's Incognito mode.
In 2020, the Arizona Attorney General sued Google for deceptive location tracking practices, revealing Google continued to collect location data even when users disabled Location History.
A 2021 internal document revealed Google employees could access private YouTube viewing histories, and the company was found scanning private Google Drive files.
To reduce Google's data collection, start at myaccount.google.com and navigate to Data & Privacy. Turn off Web & App Activity, Location History, and YouTube History. Under each, click 'Manage Activity' and delete all stored data. Go to myactivity.google.com and set up auto-delete for any remaining categories, choosing the shortest time frame (3 months) or deleting everything manually. Visit adssettings.google.com and turn off ad personalization entirely. Under Google Account > Security, review and remove third-party app access. For Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and Security, disable 'Send a Do Not Track request,' enable 'Block third-party cookies,' and turn off 'Help improve Chrome's features.' Better yet, switch to Firefox or Brave browser entirely. On Android, go to Settings > Google > Ads and opt out of ad personalization, then reset your advertising ID regularly. Disable Google Assistant or at minimum go to assistant.google.com and delete all voice recordings. Review permissions for all Google apps on your phone, especially location, microphone, and contacts. Switch your default search engine to DuckDuckGo across all browsers and devices. Replace Gmail with ProtonMail or Tutanota for encrypted email. Use OpenStreetMap instead of Google Maps. For Google Drive, migrate files to Proton Drive or a self-hosted Nextcloud instance. If you use a Chromebook, consider switching to a Linux laptop. Use a DNS-level blocker to block Google's tracking domains. Download your complete Google data archive via Google Takeout before deleting services, so you retain your data while severing Google's access to it.
Looking for a privacy-respecting alternative to Google (Alphabet)? We recommend:
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