Commentary: Is there any other company that collects our data better than Facebook? Probably, maybe, maybe Google. (Easter egg at the end of the article)
Facebook has been in the spotlight lately for collecting personal data, which it collects and monetizes.
But know that Facebook is not the only company that collects data "without users' knowledge", Google may be even more: the amount of information it collects, the scope of its tracking, and how much more users spend on Google's corresponding sites and apps time.
But despite this, there are still many users who do not understand the extent to which their information is collected and used.
Europe is drafting new regulations[1] to push companies such as Google to disclose more information and allow users to choose their own data permissions. "It's a systemic problem, and it's not limited to Facebook," said Arvind Narayanan, an assistant professor at Princeton University. "The bigger problem, he argues, is that the business model of these companies is to profit from public privacy."
We need to understand Google's role in this.
**How does Google collect data? **Google allows everyone (with or without a Google account) to turn off ad targeting[2], however just like Facebook, it still continues to collect data.
Google Analytics has become the web's premier data analysis platform. About half of the major corporate websites in the United States are in use, with a total of 30 million to 50 million website data in it. Google Analytics tracks whether users are logged in or not.
Meanwhile, Google can track billions of Google accounts in a number of ways. In 2016, Google changed its terms of service[3] to allow Google to track information combined with ad data and Google account data.
Google gets our browsing and search history, apps we install, demographics like age and gender, and other data sources like our real-world purchases. Google said it would not use "sensitive information" from race, religion, sexual orientation or health. Because Google relies on cross-platform, cross-device tracking, data is available to Google no matter what device a user is using.
This is the main reason why Google and Facebook dominate online advertising, maximizing the benefits by integrating our data with the latest AI technology.
Google has 4,000 data brokers in the US who know everything about us, whether we're pregnant, divorced or trying to lose weight. Google works directly with agencies, who will package and integrate the data and sell it to the next family, including insurance companies, employers, and others interested in monetizing the data.
**How Android Imports Data** 
A good example: Facebook's Android version can continuously collect user calls and text records, but the iOS version can't get this permission. The Android system often asks the user for the permission of XXX, and these applications often tell the user that this permission is used for geographic location, taking pictures, calling, etc., but other hidden meanings and harms are not mentioned.
GMail for Android, again and again, asks users to open camera and microphone permissions until the user gives them permission. Google Maps requires users to enable location services, of course, but also for location-based advertising.
These will ask you on the surface if you are allowed to use it, but it is difficult for even experts to figure out the meaning behind it, let alone the general public.
Will Google be held responsible?
Google didn't understand the inherent problems of its business model, or didn't understand it clearly enough. Google opposes the California Consumer Privacy Act, citing its ambiguity. There are three main points of California consumer privacy law:
1. Consumers have the ownership of their own personal information and can ask companies not to sell their personal information 2. Consumers have the right to know where their information is sold 3. Consumers have the right to know whether service providers are protecting their personal information
Even Facebook initially opposed the bill, but then compromised (he dared to oppose it?).
Regarding personal information security, the solution may also be simple: better tools to clearly let users know the choices they are making and what the permissions they give mean; many companies may collect their own information, but they have the right to refuse right.
There is something called the bottom line.
Notes:
[1] New privacy laws are being introduced in Europe
[2] Users can turn off their ads
[3] Google changes terms of service
原文：Who Has More of Your Personal Data Than Facebook? Try Google