Recipe Behind Targeted Ads: Check What Google Knows About You


BANGALORE: Do you know that, when you use Google or any of its services, you are making an agreement?

You get to use Google Search, Gmail, Maps and YouTube for free and in exchange, you bargain with Google by agreeing to share information about yourself. The Mountain View based company sells this information to advertisers who drool over personalizing the ads to target particular users. However, Google also uses this information to optimize its services to serve you better, to show you more relevant search results or to help you to connect with people.

Google collects information in two ways: Information you give to Google. For example many of the services require you to sign up for the Google account. When you do, Google ask for personal information, like your name, email address, telephone number or credit card.

Information Google gets from use of their services.

Google collects information about the services that you use and how you use them. This may include device information, such as your hardware model, operating system version and mobile network information. Also, the log information like your telephone contact lists, calling party number, forwarding number, time and date of calls, duration of calls. When you use location-enabled Google services, Google collects and processes information about your actual location.