Facebook, Google, and the Terms of Service



There have been a lot of major data breaches recently. Facebook is the most recent one in the news, and for good reason.

"I am really sorry that happened," said Mark Zuckerberg, referring to the Cambridge Analytica data mining scandal. I can’t help but wonder if we would have received this apology if a whistleblower hadn’t stepped forward and brought the situation into the public eye.

Since this story came to light, there have been newspaper articles detailing how you can download all your Facebook and Google data, and the amount of data these services have on you is in the Gigabyte range (which is a scary amount of data).

Google probably has a lot more data on you than Facebook. Remember, their business model is essentially the same as Facebook’s. You are not paying for any of the services they provide you; Gmail, Maps, Photos, Calendar, News, Drive, YouTube, Docs, Hangouts, et cetera.

What does this mean? It’s very plain. You are the product. All your data is compiled into a detailed consumer profile, so you can be served relevant ads. You exchange your data and personal information in exchange for access to these free services.

Have you ever read Google’s terms of service? Here is an excerpt:

When you upload, submit, store, send or receive content to or through our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This license continues even if you stop using our Services […][1]

If you’re not careful with your privacy settings, Google will track your GPS coordinates and will have a detailed list of everywhere your mobile device has been (everywhere you have been). They have access to all your Gmail communications, your search history, your YouTube searches, and so forth.

Facebook, on the other hand, might be tracking all your call logs, and may or may not be listening to you at all times via your phone’s microphone (if you have their app installed), and so on.

Most people will say, “I have nothing to hide, so I’m not concerned about it”. Perhaps. There may never be any repercussions for you in accepting the terms of service these tech giants have made you agree to. Some prudent advice would be to spend some time exploring what permissions you have enabled on various platforms, so at the very least you know what you’re agreeing to.


Comments

  1. Anonymous7 December 2022 at 07:41

    You have no property rights in any achievements or Virtual 우리카지노 Goods. Termination of this Agreement and your Services account for any cause could have no effect on any Rush Rewards factors and account You preserve, and any Promotion prizes You have gained . We store nearly 4000 free online slots on our website being the second greatest amongst free slots no download databases. Although Thor’s title as the Norse God of Thunder suggests otherwise, your safety whereas depositing and spinning might be nothing but clear skies and a hassle-free journey.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why do I have to deposit $1 to use a shopping cart?

Image
Really? I need a $1 coin in order to access the convenience of using a shopping cart? This irks me. Yes, I understand the logic - in theory. It will incentivize me to return the cart to the little area, so I can get my loonie back. Frankly, I don't really even care about the dollar. Relative to my purchase at this major grocery chain, a dollar would be relatively insignificant. I'm not shopping at a value chain. This is a "frill" I expect. I am guessing the buck is also meant to stop to those lawless individuals who may steal the carts away. Those individuals would, presumably, amble down the road where there are greener pastures (sans the $1 barrier) for acquiring an empty bottle wagon. Still image from the film "Carts of Darkness" by Murray Siple. Be this as it may, my feedback is that the policy is lamentable. Obviously, I do not carry a purse - I'm a man. I have a change pouch in my car, but there are many occasio
Read more

DuckDuckGo : A private alternative to Google search

Image
Recently it was revealed that Google services  track your location , even if you’ve explicitly told them not to. This seems troubling to me. As I wrote in an  earlier post , the terms of service that companies such as Google employ leave you little recourse. If you don’t like it, tough. Using these services can paint a pretty comprehensive portrait of who you are. Here are just a few examples: ·        Maps & Location history – every place you visit, and how often ·        Mail – the contents of all your Gmail e-mails can be harvested for personal information and used to target ads to you ·        Calendar – a synopsis of everything you do ·        Contacts – Who you communicate with ·        Drive – all your personal documents ·        Youtube – what you are interested in ·        Hangouts – what you look like and sound like ·        Photos – what you like to do The last one I’ll note, and of course the big one, is  search . If you really want to
Read more

Digital Content: To pay or not to pay

Image
In the digital age, consumers are very used to getting apps and online content for free. I was listening to a free Joe Rogan Podcast on YouTube recently (irony intended). He was interviewing Sam Harris, who likewise has a very popular podcast. They were discussing their respective business models. Rogan uses an ad-based model, so his show is funded predominantly by sponsors. Harris uses more of a PBS model where you can access much of his content for free, and if you enjoy it you can subscribe to his website and pay. Harris noted an overall trend with digital content: You have Facebook on the one hand, which is just a totally free platform where the users don’t even realize that they’re not the customers, that they’re the actual product, right? The users are having their attention sold to advertisers, and it’s this enormous business. And on the other end of the digital spectrum you have Netflix, which is just a stark paywall, right, and there’s no way in but t
Read more