How Much Does Google and Facebook Know About You
Google The Google user data which you're able to access through the site's transparency services are split across three places.
Dashboard: The dashboard is the principal place to get information on all your Google services – and includes data from Picasa, Gmail, YouTube, search histories and more. You can get to it at www.google.com/dashboard/ – expect to have to re-enter your password, even if logged in.
Account Activity: The dashboard has been going for three years now, but Google have added a new monthly monitoring feature with a few extra bits of information in the last month. Called Account Activity, it gives info on how much you've used different services, from which computers and browsers, and some extra bits of information. It's delivered to your inbox after signing up at the link.
Ad preferences: Google says its personalisation of display ads doesn't rely on your account data, but on your browsing history. This can be quite fun to view, especially Google's guess at your age and gender. You can view it here.
Facebook lets you download a history of the data you've put on the site. This is fairly limited in that it doesn't show many classes of information – wallposts on other people's profiles, others' photos of you, and more. That said, there is a lot contained in the two releases you can get.
You get the archive through Facebook account settings . Then find and click "Download a copy of your Facebook data". This includes lots of information that will be unsurprising – your photos, wall and notes – and maybe a few bits you wouldn't expect.
You can also request an "enhanced archive", which gives details of your logins and logouts, IP addresses, personal details, friend requests and (naturally) pokes.
So if you think you are relatively anonymous on the web, think again. Big Brother now lurks on your own Google and Facebook accounts -- and prospective employers aren't far behind.
I think it is creepy that all the social websites know a lot about users. I know that Facebook records all your pictures and wall posts even if you delete them. I know for a fact that once you post something on a website it will always be there online. I did not know Facebook had a database we could print or find. It is scary to know websites can track anything you do.
ReplyDeleteI agree with ashi, it is almost scary knowing that Facebook and Google have so much "dirt" on us. I don't understand why they would need all that information. I do know however that many potential candidates for positions in jobs are looked up on social sites to make sure they do not participate in any illegal activity, such as underage drinking or any illegal drugs and such. As well as to get a "feel" of what kind of person this candidate is with viewing statuses, photos and friends, ect..
ReplyDelete-Cynthia Neira
It is crazy to think that the Internet has so much information about you that you might not know is out there. Reading this article I realized we do not live in a society of privacy. We live in a world that knows anything any everything about us. I have always thought of myself as a private person, but I guess I was wrong. having a Facebook and using Google has caused me to lose my privacy. We might not realize it now, but that is not a good thing. In the future this can really harm us because we can lose a job or get in trouble. We need to be every careful while using the Internet. We can't be putting anything out there because once it is posted or entered you can never get it back.
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty cool how the Account Activity on Google mails a copy of all the places a person went on and which devices they used. Sometimes it's helpful when looking for articles that we've seen before and forgot to bookmark, we have a backup. I understand that people are scared about Facebook and other social networking sites knowing so much about us, but that just advocates that we should be careful of what we do and say. It's not like social networking sites post things up that are out of our control, we put up those comments. Just like this websites says, "Think b4 u Write" :)
ReplyDeleteIt scares me to see how much personal information Google and Facebook can retrieve about me within seconds. This article opened my eyes because it made me realize just how public and dangerous the Internet can be, even if one is very careful. Sometimes I will post statuses and pictures that I decide to later delete, but after reading this article, things posted on social networking sites like Facebook really do not go away. With one click of a button, past histories can easily be retrieved. Just as the article reads, “if you think you are relatively anonymous on the web, think again.”
ReplyDelete- Charisse
Like Anjila said, I think it is pretty cool how they can track where you have been along with all of the other information that they keep on you. It is amazing how in the past few years how the internet and its privacy policies have changed. Now instead of posting freely you might what to reconsider it. Im curious to see what will happen in the future with the social network and privacy.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely a scary thought that Google might remember more about your past than yourself. Right before beginning to write this I went onto my Google dashboard. There were a few YouTube videos that I had commented on that I did not remember about. There were also apps and the contacts of my old Android phone. It is also a little scary to think that Google remembers or stores every search you do. Sometimes as I am twitching through different websites I see that there are advertisements for the exact things or things similar that I had searched for earlier that day or days prior. As for Facebook, I have deactivated mine and I hope to never feel the need to go back on it. Unfortunately, there is already a lot of my data on their database.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much information someone can get about you by just looking through your browser.It's scary knowing that someone can get a hold of your information so easily.It seems crazy that Facebook can tell me where my brother is before he tells me himself. News like this makes me want to delete all my social networking accounts (Although it would be hard.) and my browser history. I try as hard as i can to keep my Facebook clean because I have family that can access it. It is also beneficial to keep the material clean just in case employers take a look at it. Deleting everything completely seems like the best thing to do for privacy issues but at this point everyone seems to be attached to their social networking.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the first time I've heard about Googleand Facebook keeping track of what we search, where we seared information etc. In many ways it is very creepy for Google and Facdbook to be doing this, and they say its only for the better. Like mentioned in the article I've definetly noticed Google was tracking me one way or another. For example, I was randomly looking at car parts online. Eventually I was on a totally unrelated website. And the annoying ads on the sides were mainly links of websites to car parts. I've noticed that the same thing happens whenever I search something. Somehow they track what you search and gear advertising towards what you have searched on totally unrelated sites. The same thing happens on Facebook aswell. Its a little disturbing to know that Google and Facebook are tracking almost everything we do and in my view, its an invasion of privacy. But will I stop using Facebook, no will I stop using Google probably not. I mean maybe yahoo and all the major sites are probsbly doing it too...
ReplyDeleteThe entire concept of websites keep tracking of all our information and having it readily available for download is creepy and slightly terrifying, but it's not something we didn't see coming. I'm not particularly keen on the idea of somebody being able to completely track my entire life, so I limit the things that I post online. Even on facebook I have my privacy settings set up as high as it can possibly go, making it so you can't search for me through the actual search field. That doesn't mean that the information isn't already there in the databases, but at least I'm somewhat controlling it. Our generation has a weird desire to keep track of everything to document it too. I wonder if that somehow plays into it, or if it's just to keep tabs on every person possible?
ReplyDeleteIm not surprised that Google and Facebook keep a log of a users data, however what they do with that sort of information is a bit vauge. From what I am aware of, Google likes to find specific ads that spark interest in the user. They obtain this sort of information from the users search history. But, I think its a bit weird that Google would even try to look through a persons search history, sort of invading privacy dont you think. Then again, you are using a service provided by Google, therefore I guess they have the right to look through the users search data. On the other hand, Facebook's data log can come in handy. For instance, maybe someone deleted some pictures or posts on accident. They can easily access their past information through Facebooks database. The data logs that Google and Facebook provide are meant to keep track of a user and use their information to better their services. But, I rather keep all that sort of information to my self and I think a majority of people agree with me.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this is not surprising to me, I still think that it is very weird that Google and Facebook could track all of your information and know all about you. Whenever I post any pictures or information about myself on my Facebook I am very cautious and I tend to not put a lot of information about myself. I am also cautious about the information other put about me or the pictures my friends tag me in. I am so cautious when it comes to putting information on my Facebook because I know that once I put it on my Facebook it could be anywhere on the internet.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't really surprise me that Google and Facebook can track all our information. It doesn't really bother me either because I'm very cautious about what I put on Facebook. Since I don't do anything bad to begin with, I don't worry about what other people might find about me or what I have done. If you haven't done anything bad than you don't have anything to fear. It does bother me a tad though that jobs now look at your Facebook. They shouldn't have to do that because that's what interviews are for. I get that they want to see how you really are because for all they know you can be lying about the information you describe yourself as in the job interview. But, I feel that Facebook is more of personal way you interact with others not a way to be judged.
ReplyDeleteGoogle and Facebook tracking your information is not a new issue, it has been brought up numerous times since they were made. Google doesn't only track your information, it also share it with several businesses and other services to give you offers about the products. The only thing I like about google using or tracking your information is when you go shopping, it shows you other offer later of that product you were looking for. I have heard that people are downloading strangers pictures and videos from your profile and using it, sometimes even selling it.
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy to think that Facebook has access to everything that you have ever posted online. I know that once you post something on the internet it is there forever and will always be able to be found, even if you delete it. However, I had no idea that Facebook and Google also had access to all of your information and past history. As well as the user being able to print everything off. It is unsettling knowing this new information. I rarely use Facebook except to communicate with distant family and other colleagues, so I closely monitor what I post online. Although, it still doesn't make it any easier to accept the fact that everything you post on a social network will follow you forever. Therefore, I am careful as to what I post because I know and have seen the consequences of foolish behavior online. (Caitlin Paulo)
ReplyDeleteSince the creation of the Internet our privacy began to deplete. I think it's interesting that once something is posted on the internet it is no longer private. I would think that this would cause many people to be more discrete about the things that they post. However, people have done the complete opposite. They take advantage of the internet and use it in a way that exposes others private lives for their own entertainment. I would like to say that I wish there was a way to monitor the things that people post on the internet, but that would involve a "higher authority" to take away our freedom of speech. It sucks that the internet puts every little piece of information on blast, but i would rather this be the way it is rather than having my freedom of speech taken away from me.
ReplyDeletei think it is crazy and amazing how theinformation someone can get about you by just looking through your facebook and the thing that you post online with out knowing you.It's scary me like the way how the people you do not know can get your information so easily. I think it's interesting that once something is posted on it will stay forever in the internet and it is no longer private everybody can see it.
ReplyDeleteThe message that we should all gain from this is that we simply need to be cautious of what we put on the internet. No part of the internet is private. It is important to know that everything you put on the internet can and will be seen so always expect that. Social networks are a big one and we should be careful with the pictures we post and conversation because it can be seen by employers, coaches, and other people who you may not want to know every detail of your social life. On the other hand, google and Facebook are really useful and great sites on the internet if you use them carefully.
ReplyDeleteI am not at all surprised about Google and Facebook keeping a log of information about their users. Simply because, the internet is a world wide system that can be accessed as easily as it is to be tracked. Us, as internet users have to be cautious and think twice about what we say or post onto Facebook, because everyone can see it. From your friends to your manager at work, they can easily access your postings if you don't have the right privacy settings on. We can't get too comfortable with the internet, because there are so many people watching, and now logging our every move.
ReplyDeleteNow that we know how much of our information is out there, it's our responsibility to be cautious on what we put or write on the web.I have read on news people who got into trouble for putting outrageous postings on Facebook and other social sites. Many have lost their jobs,lives, spouses, friends and their reputations.For instance,in Kenya,my home country, I witnessed one of the ugliest violence in the nations history.A post election violence that erupted after a disputed presidential election in the year 2007.Some Kenyans,using anonymous usernames,decided to use the social media to preach tribal hate speech that later,emerged to be one of the most powerful tool that fueled the violence . Hundreds of Kenyans lost their innocent lives.People who wrote hate speeches were later held accountable. Therefore,we should always think before we write.
ReplyDeleteWhenever someone uses the internet, they should ALWAYS be aware of how much information is being saved. Almost 100% of the information we put on the internet, such as google searches, buying history, and picture we post on certain social networking sites are saved and archived. I think the people who are most affected badly are teenagers who have just figured out the internet and are creating social networking sites and posting inappropriate things. Those kids don't know what they are about to let the whole world know, not just their circle of added friends.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a social network then you have lost all your rights to privacy. The internet is called the world wide web for a reason, anything you put on it will be available for people WORLD WIDE. You should really be careful about what you post on social networks, i.e, nude photos,bank account numbers, and personal information.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't so surprising, but it is still pretty creepy. Hopefully I will not have that feeling of someone staring over me in the privacy of my own room, just browsing the web. This makes me a little bit concerned about having a Facebook that some employers could possibly get a hold of; however, I do not know if that is possible (yet). I think everyone should just be careful of what information they put out on the web, regardless.
ReplyDeleteWith technology blooming it is not a surprise that we lost all rights to privacy. No Facebook or not signed up for any social websites? That does not even matter nowadays! Regardless if you refuse to join Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter. Someone is bound to know you and post a comment, photo, video, and tag your location even without your permission. Just type your name on "Google" I can guarantee you that you will find something about yourself. Our identity is out in the open. Why not join the tread and just hide your friends posts when they tag you on it?
ReplyDeleteAs Facebook becomes something that we all use daily it is intimidating that knowing anything posted to Facebook is then public property. It's not only the status's and the pages you like that are public property but knowing that any and all of your pictures can be accessed. I was unaware of the newer Facebook policy until I heard that even if your picture is on your profile that is set to private, if you cope and paste the pictures URL anyone can have access to it. I thought this was possibly the biggest invasion to privacy but now that Google is also keeping tabs of its users it makes you wonder what other sites do this without us being aware. Even though the terms and conditions can be found who really reads all of it? The privacy policies to all sites should be easy to read and easy to access.
ReplyDeleteI think that many people who go on these social websites probably are not familiar with the amount of information they keep of us. I find it very weird and creepy that these social websites like Facebook keeps our personal info. I've noticed that when people want to delete their accounts, some think it is permanently deleted but it is not. It's still there, don't be fooled. Like others here have said which I agree too is that it's so crazy how people can find information on you by just searching your name and looking up your profile.
ReplyDeleteAny notion of privacy on the internet is a complete farce. Digital information is perhaps the one form of media that can never silenced. Paper can be burned, but electrons and magnetic images on hard drives are all too easily stored and replicated. The moment an image is posted on the internet, fifty other servers have cached the image for quick access, and a thousand personal computers have the image downloaded to their temporary hard drive space simply by loading and visiting the website. You must be present to read a book or view a photograph, but images and texts linked worldwide are not secure, no matter the so called "security" in place for digital media. Irregardless of time, every little detail you relinquish to the internet is there to stay, so be careful of what you tell the world about yourself!
ReplyDeleteI think that anything you do online, no matter what it is, will leave a trail. When you look at any website, when you online shop, and social media especially. On my google account, I only use it for email. However, I find ads of recent websites that I visited. Even if I'm not interested in that website, I just visited it to look something up or just because I was bored. Then, all of a sudden I see ads everywhere for that site, or something similar. As for Facebook, anything you post on there will be on the internet forever, even if you delete it. I no longer have a Facebook, but I'm sure there are still pictures of me out there. It's not just for Facebook either, it's for any type of social media site. Anyone can look you up in an instant.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting to see just how much my Google account knows about me along with Facebook. I’m not an avid social network user, but I do have multiple accounts made in my name so I’m not completely unaffected. It’s amazing to see that as technology and websites like these advances, people seem to know little about how they work. Many seem ignorant as to what they sign up for or accept when making new accounts on the newest social network craze. I suppose most people assume that the internet isn’t smart enough to figure out information about you, aside from what they give them. If this ignorance continues, pretty soon companies will have access to all of our info without the common person even knowing.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, it is not that bad as what Ashi worried about. It's true that no one would like to see that his/her privacy was published on the Internet, but since Google and Facebook are community websites, it's legal for them to publish several of our information on the Internet. And it is definitely convenient for us to keep contact with our friends. Furthermore, these websites are not able to publish our information unless we upload it by ourselves.
ReplyDeletesocial media and search engines are now recording and guessing your personal preferences in order to exploit every chance of promotion. it is a bit out of the line for those companies to bombard internet surfers with endless ads. although this marketing strategy is appropriate for those corporates, it is extremely annonying to for the surfers being bombarded, and who knows what those companies would do with all those personal information. it is not the first time to hear the social media or the search engines to sell the information to other companies for profits. i think facebook and google should stop prying their customs' personal information.
ReplyDeleteComputers and the internet are programmed to save history are designed to keep track of everything that happens. Computers have tons of data in code and it never really goes away. I think it is kind of creepy that this information can be public however. I understand if maybe you want to see for yourself what you have done. I also understand if employers want to seek out potential employees, however for both of these to happen nothing can be private. The government and any other organization can therefore track you too. If you have nothing to hide it should not be a problem but at the same time it is a little uncomforting to know how public your life becomes any time you use the internet. I think it is weird how the Ads on facebook link up to what you have recently shopped for, or have some relation to what you look up online. Facebook also has face detection now and asks if you would like to tag certain people in the photo you just uploaded. To my surprise the people they were asking me to tag were the actual people in the photo. Kind of creepy that they know. Even if you delete your facebook or history it is still out there in cyber space somewhere. I don't think anything can be truly deleted so be wary of anything done on any computer especially when using the internet.
ReplyDeleteEverything on the internet is never anonymous. I find it interesting how Google can monitor what you have searched and where you have logged in. they can get a lot of information of a person by what they do online. They can even guess what age and gender you are. The ad preference is definitely an advantage for them because they show you what you know you are interested in and more likely consider buying a product. This just shows that whatever you do on the internet is there and it’s monitored. Makes you think twice about even searching something up.
ReplyDeleteThey save all of our account information on Facebook? I can't help but ponder a few questions. Who has access to our information? Why do they archive pointless data? Doesn't it cost a lot to store all that information? Most of all, why did I post that picture drinking straight out of a magnum of Bombay Sapphire?
ReplyDeleteI'm a pretty discreet person. I don't really like to put too much of my business on social media, but I can still think of some questionable posts and pictures that I really don't want archived forever. Now, reading this, I'm glad I'm not incredibly popular on Facebook. It's hard to be a man of mystery when a good portion of your social interactions are archived online. I just wish my Mom knew me as well a Google does. And I immediately retract that statement.
It is not surprising to me that Google and Facebook track our information. I believe it can be a good thing because when Google and Facebook are tracking our information, it also means we, as a user, can keep track of our own account activities. In some ways, it helps to protect ourselves. However, we can not ignore the fact that we lose our privacy when using social network. Therefore when we are using Google, Facebook or other social networks, we need to be more aware of what we post and write, also to make sure we do not put any important personal information on the web.
ReplyDeleteIn my new speed of Facebook, I saw a video about how Facebook has user's information. In the video, the scene was like real situation and kind of serious. In the scene, people, who are Facebook users, met a Nostradamus, and the Nostradamus told them about what they did in last years. Also, the Nostradamus seems he knew everything about them. The people started to react about what he said such as "How did you know that? It's a story that only my families know!" In last scene, finally, the curtain that was hanging on backside fell, and other people, who are working on Facebook to find any information about the people, revealed. After watching the video, I have feeling of doubt about that I posted on my Facebook wall. I felt kind of awkward, because the wall seems like very private and only my close friend can see, but it's totally opened. We should be careful about our posting. It is totally revealed anytime.
ReplyDeleteSome people may think the fact that the Facebook, Google or other social worksite will keep the history or data you’ve been put on is scary because someone can download your information. However, if you want to keep your information privacy, why you upload your information online? I think it is not scary at all. On the other hand, the social worksite, such as Facebook or Google, can record the history list you have read or watched. , if we want to watch it again, the function is easier for us to find things, which we watched before, back.
ReplyDeleteFacebook and Google becomes something that we all use, even some of our parents have Facebook. They have any sort of information about you that you put on by your permission. They have your date of birth, where you were born and etc. Any personal information you can name, they have it. These type of online social companies built up on a idea of to get people closer together, where they can make some money and people can have some fun by going through others photos or personal information. Government related agencies who work for government realized that they can easily use these personal information in order to first, have a reliable source of personal information about people in society . second, they can get a clear view of what people do by simply have the access to their personal information via social websites like Facebook and Google. The idea that Google or other same-type websites are stealing our personal information won't apply to the people who wants to be seen and who wants to see others personal information. Because you are sharing tons of information on a virtual data base with no powerful protection, so you cannot expect any thing other than stealing your information because this is you that doing it to yourself.
ReplyDeleteWOW this is crazy. if someone or everyone can see your personal information that's scary. im confused because that means that people that aren't your friends on face book can see your stuff. THIS IS A VIOLATION OF MY CIVIL RIGHTS. at least that's how I feel. im shocked that this is even allowed. although if this helps the police catch sex preditors then im all for it but I don't think that our privcy should be invaded by people we don't know. as for employers being able to find out all our dirty little secrets well maybe you shouldn't put them on the web. DONT BE STUPID PEOPLE BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PUT ON THE WEB.
ReplyDeleteI started Google since I got android phone to activate application for smart phone. Since then, my Google account can be used for several ways such as YouTube, Google calendar, and so on. I was surprised I have been using my account more than I expected. Using one account to access several times is so much convenient. However, at the same time, Google can search all of my personal information not only the date of birth, but also my personal favorites and conversations. Also, Facebook has great opportunities to use other website without sign up for new account. However, this one also invades privacy.
ReplyDeleteI think this article is educational for people who think that no one will see their lives on the internet. Once you put a picture on Facebook or any other social media I like to think of it as going up into space for everyone in the world to see. People should know that their employers do look at their social media accounts and they have the right to do so. I don't believe anything on the internet is "private." This is sometimes good and sometimes bad, it is good for employers to know who they are hiring, but bad because some information you put out there could be used against you, or even cause identity theft. So in short people should be aware of what they put out there on the internet and understand the consequences that could come.
ReplyDeleteI think that Google and Facebook knows too much about the lives of its users. Just recently, I found that Google has pictures of me on a database that I had deleted long ago. Some of the pictures gave me that, 'my ex is still following me, feeling." I think the terms and conditions of these companies should be analyzed more thoroughly. Much of the personal information that we share on our phones can be recorded and monitored; that makes me uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteI think its pretty cool to an extent that Google and Facebook or the internet in general can have so much information on us. Like if I forgot my password or something like that Facebook can remember, but then again if it was that easy for me to access information about myself, how easy would it be if other people tried to access information about me. Its a bit unnerving to find out that your past on the internet can always come back to haunt you, no matter if you deleted or put those things on private.
ReplyDeleteWell by reading this article, I feel that I should definitely watch on what I post on my face book because who knows how that one picture or one comment is going to affect my future. So a good way around all of this is to think. "what if my mom or grandma saw or read this, what would they say?". I guess one can say, there is always someone recording and watching on what you are doing on the web so be careful people.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that the web has invaded everyones privacy in some type of way. Being that websites like Google and Facebook can know so much about you is scary. The only thing I think they need to know is my password and user name but nothing else.Although it is awesome to be able to access my accounts from any device I do not like the fact that certain websites can obtain so much information on someone. Once you give your information to a website, that information about you, you no longer have any privacy. It's great to have this type of technology but I do not care for the invasion of privacy.
ReplyDeleteI was very interested in this information. I spent quite an amount of time looking up my personal information on my email accounts and facebook account. i never knew they had so much information. At first it was pretty exciting find all these old messages and notifications, but son i was pretty spooked by the fact that google and facebook has access too all these things. they know where i am because of where i log in and also what i'm interested at the time. I took a look at how they know hat type of advertisement they through at me. And saw all the things that i search for connect to what advertisements i get. I was suprising to see how google can guess my age and my top interests. i personally don't have a problem with them having access to search history for advertisement purpose, but access to messages and current location is crossing a boundry. I feel like it is unneccesary information that they need to know.
ReplyDeleteI find it very intimidating that the internet can get so much information on you.Unfortunately, that's how todays technology is set up and it' s very hard to try to prevent your information from being shared these days. Personally, I don't use Facebook so the problem is not as severe for me as it is for others. One point that I can make is that you are sharing certain information about yourself on these websites for huindreds of people to see anyways so why does it matter that they are able to download this information. If someone wants to protect themselves then they should completely get rid of their social networking sites. Even if you change your privacy settings, the internet can still get ahold of information that you put out about yourself. To a certain extent, I do consider it another form of internet stalking but we make ourselves suseptible to it. On the othr hand, I think that there should be lawful action taken agianst the act of being able to download someones information becuase i could see how people could take it as an invasion of privacy.
ReplyDeleteI do find this article very interesting because of the information regarding internet transparency. However, personal information access online is very unnerving. With one click of a button, a stranger can have information about you. Granted, it is very difficult avoid social media. We have relied on technology for everything. Consequently, we slowly lose our privacy because of this. What we can do to protect ourselves from social media is to not participate in social media overall. I know it can be considered as drastic. However, if a person feel uneasy about having sensitive information online, he or she may want to do it and not rely on government protection. We just have to be aware of the things we share to the public because it may haunt us later.
ReplyDeleteIt is no question that Google saves everything you do. When you begin to type in google, you are given "suggestions" from things other people in the world have typed into google. So then why would you think that your search history is safe? Google even saves the sites you visit when your browser is in incognito or private mode. Facebook is no saint with this either. I recently read an article that said that Facebook saves every website you visit while logged into Facebook, which for most of us, for convenience purposes, is always.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually not surprised that what you post online is public knowledge. It's all a marketing scheme to understand what consumers are interested in. It makes it very easy to pick out what individuals want, which then makes it easy to advertise on a personal level. It's important to understand that employers may google you, just to see what pops up. Privacy settings don't always work because screenshots and re-posting exist. Once something is on the internet it is safe to assume that is public forever.
ReplyDeleteAlthough that's a lot of data being recorded, that's as much data as I expected. I was expecting a lot more personal stuff being recorded, like, for example, if you sign up for Facebook and use your full name and where you're from. Facebook would narrow down your name - if it's common - and know personal information about you, like your social security number and all that.
ReplyDeleteI've known for some time now that Google and Facebook keep tabs on my personal online life; however what I find most shocking is what information is made public. Just by looking up your name in the Google search engine several photos of you can be brought up by various online sources, usually social media. There are ways to get photos taken down, but they are such a hassle. If anyone else has a simpler way I’m all ears.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure you've gotten some form of notification from twitter or Facebook saying that they have changed their policy. What does that mean? It means that they can now use your pictures or post in ads. And if you don’t like all you can do is delete your account. Though many are out raged, how many people are actually willing to take down their social media. I doubt very many.
There are ways to make your settings on Google more private such as, set it to super stealth mode or make sure your accounts are logged off when not in use, but private isn't always all that private so watch what you put out there. It’ll be there for those it wasn't even intended for.
It's not a secret that Google and Facebook knows a lot about its users. what else could be there purpose of asking for full name, age, gender, email account, etc. when we sign up for these sites? Personally, I don't find nothing wrong with it; unless you are searching or posting something that can be used against you. Lol, I laugh when I type my name in "Google" and find see my face under "images."
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article I'm not surprised at the amount of information Google and Facebook have on us, we are required to piratically put or whole lives on there just to sign up for an account. I do believe that they should work on making your information private though because now of days its so easy to find out information on someone because you can always see what everyone is doing, like for example when your on Facebook it tells everyone if you viewed a page, or liked a photo/video, poked someone, or even played a game. Also on Google you can Google your name and 9 times out of 10 your picture will come up that you have uploaded to some of these site will show up, mine definitely does and it also shows my brother, sister, and cousins. As far as job using Facebook to decide whether or not to hire people i think have its pros and cons because on one note it is there personal life and its there personal profile and they should be able to post what they want, but i think it can been helpful because people like to post stupid stuff on the internet and it would be nice to know what this person is all about.
ReplyDeleteI already knew that everything people did was monitored on the internet, what surprises me the most, is how easy it is to get that information. I don't think it's that big of a deal either. It is a little scary to know that the government is watching everything every single person is searching and viewing on the internet. But i am sure that this is a good thing for the police to use when catching criminals, or solving cold cases. Being able to search someones history may uncover evidence or even motive. As for us normal people, using the internet for normal things, i would just be careful what you upload and say online. You never know if your future boss is looking at your profile. Who knows it could be worse, maybe your mom is reading! Oh no!
ReplyDeleteFrom my perspective, it is quite shocking and interesting at the same time that our personal information can be viewed by others, including future employers. However, as we all grow up and go through different aspects of life, we choose the actions we do leading to consequences. Those consequences can be bad and can stay permanent. In my opinion, living as teenagers, we have to realize that every bad action we do can be possibly spread out on the internet exposing bad reputations that we might not even know about. Some teenagers and college graduates get upset about not getting a job when they tried so hard when in reality it was probably all due to their social media account actions looked up by an employer. As we grow up, we have to decide what is good and wrong. We have to be responsible adults and choose the right thing to do because at the end, all we have is us trying to get a great job. It amazes me on how most students do not think about their actions and do not think about their future careers because they do create huge impacts. Getting hired and maintaining a job in the future is all due to a hard work ethic and because the employer obviously knows all about your social accounts or has done some sort of research. A job is permanent while bad actions are temporary and get you nowhere in life.
ReplyDelete-Daisy Cabrera
I knew this can happen but every time i hear about it, it shocks me all over again. It's crazy how much a person's life isn't so private anymore thanks to the social media, but then again it's up to the people if they want their lives to be out in the open. Sometimes I feel like it's not fair if someone gets fired or in trouble because of what they post online because we are only human and we do have to live a little sometimes. Other times I think it's better because then it can really ruin the company's reputation. In a way, it's kind of creepy that you can search someone up and find out things about them. As we grow older, we become mature and more smart as to what should be online or not. Although sometimes you can seem to forget and not care . But it's also good to keep in mind that even though your previous job probably didn't search you up, maybe your next job will. It doesn't mean that anybody will look you up. Now I know what i should and shouldn't do when it comes to doing things on the internet.
ReplyDeleteHonestly reading this article was not that surprising. I know people can see our information but I didn't know it would be that easy. It also isn't surprising because when we create online accounts we are basically required to put our entire life information on it. But at the same time we should be careful what we put because anyone from a friend to a boss can see what is on our profile. We don't think about that though at the time that we are going to post something until its too late and everyone you know has seen it and consequences start happening. Once again it was not that surprising that our online accounts know so much about us, we basically are telling our life story every time something is being posted.
ReplyDeleteI have researched this topic in a previous English class. We went in depth about how many different strange things that all of these websites do. Most of it without our consent and knowledge. It has even been compared to Orwell's "1984" in which the government uses vast amounts of technology to spy on its citizens. The fact that Google tailors your search results by using your internet activity is also unsettling. It is surprising that they are allowed to keep tabs on you in such a way and use them to "sensor" the search results (for lack of a better term). Anyways, the whole thing just seems a little shady to me. The blame isn't entirely on the big companies and sites either. We put so much information out on the web whether it is Facebook or even using location services. (which in itself is all kinds of creepy). We need to be more vigilant of what we allow people and these web providers to see.
ReplyDeleteCensor*
DeleteThis seem pretty cool but also it may seem like it's a invasion of privacy because if you can go back and search into your Facebook or Google searches and see what you have been doing. I really don't like that since I am such a private person I don't like knowing that anyone can see that but I'm really not surprised nothing is ever private anymore once you put it on the internet. I'm also a big social network junkie I love my social media websites like twitter, and instagram so I think it would be pretty cool to see everything I've put on them to just laugh and reflect on things I've did in my past years.
ReplyDeleteI believe its a invasion of privacy. If you have to make an account with a username and password people shouldn't be able to find secret things out about you. Also it is a social site so if you don't want people to find out you shouldn't put it. I really don't like people in my business so most of the time i don't post things that people may have something to say or talk about. I have lots of social networks like instagram and etc, but i don't post things that can jeopardize me getting or job or may affect my future. It can also be cool to see how you have change down the years you have had the social network.
ReplyDeleteWhen social networks were made at first time, people didn't think how they affect our personal life. Sometime, someone who I don’t know added me to friend. Whenever I have experienced that , I felt bad and surprised how they figure out me. It causes some serious problem. Everyone who use Facebook and have Google account can not be protected their personal information. Privacy is basic right of hum an. We have a right which is protected by a law. I don’t like receiving spam e-mail. However, I can't stop that because I don't have method or I don't know how stop them. I think Google and Facebook have to make system to protect privacy.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this article, all that I could think about is how ignorant people are. The previous arguments, such as how privacy is a basic right of a human being, is completely valid. I agree that humans deserve privacy, but when you apply that right to the internet, the game changes. You can control privacy when you're at home or participating in events not on the internet. However, the second you log on to Facebook or google, people should be fully aware of the risks that go along with participating in online social media. People should know that privacy truly doesn't exist when you use social media. If you have an issue with privacy or fear people "discovering" you on Facebook, don't use it. The latter part of the article states that managers and hiring committees are close behind by using Facebook as a criteria to judge a potential employee. Regarding this, I will use my argument earlier stated that if you have a fear of people "discovering" you, don't use it. In addition to this clause, if a company uses social media to further investigate your interview process, get rid/don't post anything that could risk your opportunity to get the job. The internet is not a safe/stable platform, and people should realize and cater their internet usage based off of this fact.
ReplyDeleteThis creeps me out a lot. I hate Facebook, I think it is a waste of time. Now that I have read this, it makes me not even want to use Facebook even more. No one needs to know about my life except for the people that I know and trust. It makes me think that Mark Zuckerburg (I think that is how you spell it) and co. now have a file in their Headquarters with my face on it and all my personal info. Now that is beyond creepy its actually kind of sick. What if they use my info and randomly show up at my house or use my phone to track me? Just down right creepy, that is all I have to say.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this blog it made me realize how even though I do not log in into Facebook that often, people are still able to find information about myself. When Facebook became the new "thing" everyone posted pictures or updated their status everyday; I was one of them. Its scary to know that a person can read a post that was written a year ago and know information about you. This is one of the reasons why I stopped using Facebook, it reveals information to the public that is not of their concern. The positive side of using this network would be that it allows us to expand our academic or professional connections to people it different locations.
ReplyDelete"WOW", was my first thought while reading the article, "How Much Does Google and Facebook Know About You", and even after. I had already knew that Google and Facebook knows about our lives but to know that there is a way to find what your searching history was and to keep track of it; that is really creepy to me.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading the article, I scanned some of the comments and one word stuck out to me the most which was the word "creep". Whether it was transformed to the word "creepy", "creeper", or "creeps", it all has the same root word "creep". From the title, I didn't think this article would be creepy but more so informative. I know a lot of people don't know that google, or Facebook, or twitter knows our every move because we tell them. For instance, if I was at Disneyland and wanted to update my Facebook status, I would say "At the greatest place ever" and I would tag everyone I was with along with Disneyland. If I were to update my status, whether on Facebook, google, or twitter daily, I would "unknowingly" give out my location pinpoint because my "smart phone". (A lot of us, especially those of use with smart phone, tend to give our phones our location which pop up on social networks). I had already knew things that the previous example I gave but I did not know "Big Brother now lurks on [our] own Google and Facebook accounts" (How Much Does Google and Facebook Know About You).
In addition, I find it really creepy that someone takes the time and spies on our lives. I don't know about most people, but I am a very weird person and I do weird things on a daily basis. Just to know that someone sees my weirdness just makes me sad because those "creepers" really have no lives. Also, for there to be basic steps on how to "creep" is really creepy. However, I do see a positive side to these types of articles.
The people who write these types of articles are basically informing us how easy it is to accent our daily lives that are online. Also, I see these articles as warning to be careful of what we post online and what we search online. It is as easy as four basic steps to find out everything about each and one of us. As for me, I'm glad I don't post anything unapproiate on Facebook or twitter. But now that I think of it, I kind of what to delete all my social networking sites!
In my opinion the web knows a lot about our personal life is not just Facebook and google that know many of our information. Technology, is very advance and therefore can be very treaky. At times we feel like the internets can be the best way to put in information, but reality is not. The minute you post something "Private" you should know that is not only for you but for the entered world from that moment on. The internets know more then you think you know, that is why is very important to be really careful with what you share. other people can take your information and do god knows what with it. Even though at times you might delete something although it shows up as delete is not really gone is will stay safe forever. Facebook and twitter at times you can find your self coming across comments or post you had not seen in quite a while. The internets safe's all that, and for it know exactly who you are and what you are up too. Sometimes there are people who post every little thing in Facebook what they do, when they ate, what they ate and so on, that is inevitable for the web not to know exactly who you are.!
ReplyDeleteWell I feel as if this was not a huge surprise. Now more than ever I believe people have became more aware of what the internet is capable of doing and the power corporations or how fast other people can get into our information. I mean there's even people skilled at hacking into programs and computers. If society is more aware of this , you would think people would also be more cautious of what they post; but they aren't. You could say we know that we are not alone when it comes to the internet , thousands of people can view our personal items , even when set to private.People believe they are safe , although we are more aware , there is still work to be done. I think people will never truly become aware to the false idea of online privacy.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that came to my mind is "Woah!!". I think this is super creepy and scary. I am not a really big computer person, I do not have many social media accounts and after reading this it surely does not make me want to make any. The only thing I used to have was Facebook, but I never really go on it anymore. The internet I feel though knows a lot about many peoples lives. There is a lot of people who don't take precautions and just share their information anywhere. Just because your page on Facebook or twitter is private, it does not mean that it is just open for you and your friends to see. I had a friend who had a stalker, and had her page set to private so he could not see anything she posted up. She used to like to put up her location everywhere she went, and one time they guy who was always behind her was in the same place she was at. Somehow he was able to view what she was posting up. Even though you set things to private, does not always mean they will be private. Even though you delete things you post up online, does not always mean that that is erased from the internet forever. This is all very scary and that is why everyone has to be careful with what they post online. Never share any personal information up online because you never know, there are many people out there trying to steal personal information from other people and do who knows what with it! If you are going to be on the internet, just remember to be safe!
ReplyDeleteThis is literally the most scariest thing! It's crazy because all my roommates talk about stuff like this.. and I don't like to believe it. This is proof. I wouldn't want people to know more information about me than I know about myself. That's how it's sounding. It's making everyone try to get off social media.. People post the most craziest things on Facebook and other social medias. Now that employers actually look into these things is crazy! After people started hearing stories about people getting fired because what was found they started slowing down on posting crazy stuff. Anyways i'm just going to cut off on social media.. That's just how I think about this..
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is wow. That is really crazy because you would think that all of your stuff is save when it really not, and the fact that you don't find out the information until years later after you had your accounts. Honesty, this is shocking news to me, I'm thinking that all my personal information is being protected by certain privacy setting when the truth is that is nothing but a set up. I really don't trust any kind of social media when it comes to privacy because its always something with the would finding out personal information when you have you privacy set that no one will see it. I feel that all these social media sites are going way to far with letting the world know our personal information when we specifically made it to where only we can see it. I understand that what every we post stays on the internet forever but when it comes to personal information these social media sites need to do a way better job at keeping our information safe because its not fair to us that they are giving out certain personal information without our knowledge. All this is one big reason while I limited what I posed on Facebook and twitter and other sites because you never know who's going to see it and what information is going to be given out to someone without your knowledge/permission.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought about this is wow it's horrifying to know that with just one click anyone can access your information. I don't really know how to feel about big media corporations releasing my information to anyone. Is there a law that can overrule this act ? Although it is scary, it is not shocking to know that it is currently happening because we live in a generation of technology. With technology anything can be done, even the impossible. Despite the technology, I wonder how much more information is being accessed currently. I see that this blog is from 2013, that is 2 years ago. So much has changed in two years. Google and Facebook have both changed in the past two years, so what about the access of information? Has it become easier to access personal information and is more personal information being accessed? I have so many questions but no answers. This blog really makes me think about using the media because I have no clue about the types of things that they do with my information and how my information is not being protected. It is very alarming to know that my information from years ago can be accessed. What if I was only 15 when I had my first Facebook account and I posted my first picture back then. I don't want an employer accessing that and judging me by something that I was years ago. I want Facebook and google to inform me about these types of act because I feel as if I just signed my life away by connecting to medias.
ReplyDeleteI think its kind of funny how surprised people are about finding out the stuff they put on the internet isn't private. I mean people are WILLINGLY putting up their own personal information online and then are shocked to find out that other people can access it. Umm, Hello?? You put it up! Facebook is the best example. You can find out a pretty good chunk about someones life just by browsing their profile. Name, birthdate, relationship status, location, schools attending, job, I mean your status pretty much gives the rest away. One doesn't have to do much research to know what you are up to. It's pretty obvious that once it's on the internet its going to remain there forever.
ReplyDeleteI am honestly not surprised that Google has everyone's information. It is also funny for me to realize that people in this world tend to the dumbest things and act like it isn't going to be deleted. People need to be smart about what they post because everything will never get deleted even if you click "DELETE". You need to always be careful what to post because it can ruin your reputation and your work industry.
ReplyDeleteIt really isn't a shock to me that Google and Facebook know everything about someone because for one whenever someone post soemthing on Facebook it's automatically transferred into Google. They're connected and if you type in your name on google your profile from Facebook will show up and all of your pictures will be in the images section of google. That's very scary because anyone can find you and if your account isn't on private then you may get hacked or stalked even. That's one of the reasons why I don't have Facebook and it gets to be too much sometimes with all of the updates that they have. So I just stick to Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat
ReplyDeleteNow I did know previously that certain sites and programs can track what you are doing, but I never heard of these tactics in particular by Google and Facebook. Why someone would want ads that are based on your age, gender, personality, etc. is beyond me? I hate ads popping out at me whatever they are about, even if it was about something that I was interested in. But tracking your Facebook history and your history of using apps on Google and for how long you used them for on certain devices is where I draw the line. I should be able to post what I want and go to whichever site I want without any problem. I know already that internet services and others have already been invading our privacy, but tracking what we do on each device and what we post or do online should remain as our business. Sometimes, it can be good for me to know what I did an hour ago if I am looking for something that I saw before that I can't find now. But using this to extremes is just plain 1984 big brother tactics. Its sick, and overall, its wrong.
ReplyDeleteAfter read this, I'm not really surprised about people can steal you personal information form those network. Chinese hackers could even do something worse. They could steal you QQ account, pretending to be user, and talk to your parents and relative. And crime is just begin. Then whey will pretend to be you, and tell your parents you are in trouble and really need a big amount of money. Then your parents might be real worried about you. Them they will send the money to "you" actually the hackers without even think. Because the parents will never think it was not their son talk to them. One of my friend, was the victim of this trick. She is a international student too. The only way she use to talk to parents oversea is the QQ. So the hacker caught the chance and fraud about 20000 dollar. And my friend finally knew it after 5 hours. Even police could not track the money back. So what I want say is don't put any personal information online, don't download some junk software, and always remember to change you password in a certain period of time. Weiqi yu, ENGL 1001
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, it made me realize that it is pretty scary how technology and social media is advancing and its crazy how it could know so much. This made me remember something my professor told my class, that once you agree to Google as you sign up its basically giving your identity to someone else. It could be useful at times because sometimes when I use my google account somewhere I haven't it notifies me that someone tried to log in. This can be useful because it could keep me alerted, but it is very creepy how they have so many information it makes me feel unsafe. I would say the safest thing to do is know what you're posting and don't post something that it is unsafe or unprofessional. I have also read an article similar to this saying that people have gotten fired from their jobs because of the things they post on social media.
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