Today marks the 13th observance of Data Privacy Day, an international celebration meant to increase awareness about the importance of protecting personal information online. Although much of the focus of Data Privacy Day centers on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, it’s also a good time to look at what the Internet’s biggest data aggregator, Google, knows about you, too.
Google collects a staggering amount of personal information about its users — perhaps even more than you realize. Google keeps tabs on every search you perform and every YouTube video you watch. Whether you have an iPhone ($870 at Walmart) or Android phone, Google Maps logs everywhere you go, the route you take to get there, when you arrive and what time you leave — even if you never open the app. When you really take a look at everything Google knows about you, the results can be shocking — maybe even a little frightening. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do about it.
