How Big Tech Companies Collect and Use Our Personal Data Without Us Really Noticing
Sometimes it feels like privacy online is more of an idea than a real thing. Lately I’ve been thinking about how much information companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook actually have on us. A few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend about ads, and it was creepy how after mentioning a product once, I started seeing it everywhere online. It made me wonder how much of this is just algorithms doing their job and how much is straight-up tracking our behavior across apps and devices. Do you think regular users even have a chance to control this anymore, or is it already too late once you’re in the ecosystem?
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I’ve had similar moments, especially when switching devices and seeing everything sync instantly, which is convenient but also a bit unsettling. I recently came across an article called How Google, Apple and Facebook Use Your Private Information that breaks this down in a pretty clear way, explaining how data is collected through apps, permissions, and even things we don’t usually think about. It reminded me of when I tried cleaning up my privacy settings and realized how many options were buried deep in menus. Since then, I’ve become more mindful about app permissions, but honestly, it still feels like you’re only reducing the noise, not fully escaping it.