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- Google and Facebook’s impact on our privacy cannot be understated.
- 76 percent of websites now contain hidden Google trackers, and 24 percent have hidden Facebook trackers, according to one study.
To make any real progress in advancing data privacy this year, we have to start doing something about Google and Facebook. Not doing so would be like trying to lose weight without changing your diet. Simply ineffective.
The impact these two companies have on our privacy cannot be understated. You may know that hidden trackers lurk on most websites you visit, soaking up your personal information.
What you may not realize, though, is 76 percent of websites now contain hidden Google trackers, and 24 percent have hidden Facebook trackers, according to the Princeton Web Transparency & Accountability Project. The next highest is Twitter with 12 percent. It is likely that Google or Facebook are watching you on many sites you visit, in addition to tracking you when using their products.
This advertising system is designed to enable hyper-targeting, which has many unintended consequences, such as the ability for bad actors to use the system to influence the most susceptible or to exclude groups in a way that facilitates discrimination.
“These two companies have amassed huge data profiles on each person, which can include your interests, purchases, search, browsing and location history, and much more.”
Because of their entrenched positions in a wide array of Internet services, each collecting personal information that together combine into these massive digital profiles, Google and Facebook can offer hyper-targeting much better than the competition.
As a result, they now make up 63 percent of all digital advertising, and accounted for 74 percent of this market’s growth in 2017, according to eMarketer. Together they form a tight digital advertising duopoly, showing no signs of abating.
Google and Facebook also use your data as input for increasingly sophisticated AI algorithms that put you in a filter bubble — an alternate digital universe that controls what you see in their products, based on what their algorithms think you are most likely to click on.
These echo chambers distort people’s reality, creating a myriad of unintended consequences such as increasing societal polarization. On their unending march to profit from more and more personal information, Google and Facebook have shown little regard for all the negative consequences of their runaway algorithms. . .
via Google and Facebook are watching our every move online. It’s time to make them stop
The Most Revolutionary Act 
The AI algorithms, filter bubble, echo chambers are why people should use privacy-oriented search engines like Duck Duck Go. Not only do they protect your privacy, they’re better for research — because when you’re looking for something new (i.e., learning-mode, knowledge-gathering, that is, trying to find answers to something you don’t already know), you’ll never break your horizons with search results based on your own personal interests and previous searches.
You may think anyone would get the same search results, based on search terms. Not so on search engines that advertise to you. This may be why Internet-using, Far-Right Evangelicals think Donald Trump has a high approval rating among the general population. Like-minded material is all they see. It’s the same for you and your interests.
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Good points, JoAnn. I’ve been using Duck Duck Go for about 8 months now and really like. What really bothered me about the article was learning that Google also tracks you on other websites – even if you don’t use Google.
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Yes. That is very intrusive.
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Pingback: Google and Facebook Watch Our Every Move Online – It’s Time to Make Them Stop — The Most Revolutionary Act | Aisle C
Even more reasons to try alternate means to peruse the net for information. But then, the NSA is still recording our keystrokes and so I don’t understand the need for backup spying. Over kill?
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Good point, Shelby. I still operate under the assumption that the NSA doesn’t sell your information to advertisers like Google does – but I could be wrong.
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The intentions of the cabal are to keep us as assets, cattle and slaves; we are way better than robots because we self-replicate and maintain ourselves; if, the cabal do away with us, they can easily be outnumbered by rogue A.I.; so, we are safe for now; they know it; we know it;
Humanity’s real problem is the A.I. which is already rogue; and, has agendas not even the cabal could ever fathom; know thy enemy; and, the ancient texts all tell a story of ancient aliens, technology and A.I. The Old Testament calls it the beast that never was, yet is; non-entity; sat-an;
Facebook and Gogle spying pales in comparison to an A.I. agenda and takeover;
Imagine a beast as powerful as all people on earth, united as one?
Transhumanism and an A.I. god awaits us on our present path; move over cabal;
At some point we are all going to have to unplug from the net; or Creation is going to do it for us because we are unable to; in peace.
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UZA, I’ve always viewed Internet technology and A.I. as an aberrant blip in time. With the climate-related changes coming down the pike, human beings are going to really struggle to feed themselves much less produce enough electricity to keep the Intenert going.
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Reblogged this on UZA – a people's court of conscience.
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long overdue
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I notice a lot of shareholders are selling off Facebook stock now that their growth in subscribers is decreasing. I suspect Google may be headed in the same directioni.
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Tucker Carlson has done some illuminating, and quite scary segments, on Google and the rise of surveillance capitalism:
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Wow, the patents he describes Google applying for are really disgusting, PeaceFrog. Thanks for the link.
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