Google’s all-time existing private WEB TOOL has been able to track all your purchases from the day you opened that new Gmail account. As convenient as it is to use Google’s platform, it could be a bit scary for a few of us who are, to an extent, unfamiliar with the way technology and data integration actually works. Thanks to our digital receipts sent to our personal Gmail accounts, Google has successfully been able to track all your purchases and maybe putting the information to use in various ways.
The Google web tool not only records your transactions made online, but also keeps a track of real-world transactions using credit cards, various digital pay methods like Google Pay and any point of sale systems that links your credit cards and bank account (Like PayPal and Square) with a goal to provide a paper-free experience, meanwhile collecting the receipts generated and emailed to your Google accounts.
Just like all social networking platforms are personalized to the users, Google is no different when it comes to learning your daily personal habits, your general behavior and preferences and let’s not forget, YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE HISTORY. There are various tools and methods that Google uses to collect data, primarily from background data usage, we, as regular everyday Gmail users just tend to neglect the background activities that are actually intruding our privacy. Yes, it’s true that we need tools like Google’s Gmail to communicate in our everyday lives, but that comes with a price we pay with our PRIVACY.
Google has been passing through a sensitive phase with issues revolving around the data privacy and protection of customer information. Perhaps the web search giant has been transparent about its location services and has provided a solution for the users to controls their data. Here’s the link to our detailed article on this topic: Google Seeks to Address Growing Privacy Concerns, Users Get More Control Over Their Data.
The fact that these data collecting web tools exist and moreover, these tools have complete access to your purchase history over the years, just doesn’t sit well with Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s article in New York Times last week. Pichai wrote, “Privacy cannot be a luxury good.”, bashing Apple Inc’s privacy policy and a promise to remodel Google’s reputation as a company concerned about its users private data, giving them more control over their personal information and provide a more transparent experience.
Even though Google’s efforts of introducing a more transparent user experience is gradually taking off, Google’s extent of knowledge about their users has been revealed and it will take more than just Pichai’s word to fix Google’s image. In the meantime, being aware of the process of information distribution and data collection will only help us protect our information.
