Search engines like Google are part of our day to day. It is the way in which we get to the information that interests us on the network, finding services and platforms that adapt to our needs. However, beyond the usefulness they have, they can also be a privacy problem. In this article, we are going to talk about everything that Google collects when conducting a search.
What does Google know when doing a search
Google is, without a doubt, the most popular search engine in Spain. It is true that we can find a large number of options. There are even privacy-based search engines. It has a large number of additional services and also manages a large amount of data.
Where we are
One of the clearest points that Google collects is where the user is . If we go to the bottom of the page we will see our location or at least that of the IP address with which we navigate. It is a piece of information that you always collect with each search.
We can prove it, for example, if we put “what the weather is going to do”. It will show us if it is going to rain, it is going to be sunny, cold, hot … in our location. Also if we look for “restaurants nearby” we will see those that are in the city where we are.
IP adress
Of course our IP address will also know what it is. Of course, we can always use VPN services to hide the real address and be able to browse the network anonymously without leaving a trace. But yes, if we browse without any type of encryption, it is another piece of information that it will always collect.
Device we are using
The device we use is part of what are known as unique identifiers . It is also a way of adapting the page to the screen of our team. It is not the same to navigate with a computer on a big screen, than to do it from a mobile phone or an electronic book.
Therefore, Google will know the type of device from which we are making the query. It is data that the denier himself also collects for precisely the same reason: to adapt what it shows to the type of screen.
The browser where we look
Following the thread we mentioned, Google will also know which browser we are using . It will know if it is Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox … It will also know the version of that program. Again, this is something that will serve to better serve you.
Search history on that computer
You will also know what we have previously searched for. Basically the history of those searches. We can check it when making any query and later do it again from the same computer. Our device stores that information, but it also reaches Google. The terms we are looking for, words, phrases …
Everything we have synchronized with the Google account
We have said that Google is much more than a simple search engine. It also has an email service, YouTube and many other platforms. If we have logged in with our account, you can access everything we have synchronized .
Ultimately, these are some questions that Google can collect simply by conducting a search. Personal data, information about our equipment, location … Of course, we can hide all this as long as we configure it properly.