Google knows a lot about you.
If you use Google to search the web, then Google knows what you are looking for.
If you use Google’s GMAIL service, then Google knows who your circle of friends and family are, and the types of things that you email about (based on the Ad Words displayed alongside your messages).
Google owns Doubleclick, a leader in online advertising, so Google knows some of the sites that you are visiting (unless you opt-out of the Doubleclick tracking cookie, of course).
If you are using their new open DNS server 8.8.8.8, then Google can even track where you go on the web, whether you use their search engine or not. (An aside: Web Watch strongly encourages that you do have a secondary DNS server available to you in case your primary DNS server goes down, whether it be Google’s DNS server or someone else’s open DNS.)And these things are just the tip of the iceberg. As you can see, there are plenty of ways that Google has to track who you are and what you do.
So how can you find out what Google knows about you? Google makes that easy, too.
Just log onto the GOOGLE DASHBOARD and see the types of things that Google is tracking. When you do log in and view the complete list, you shouldn’t be surprised – especially if you use a lot of Google products. Some of the information you can purge, other pieces stay there forever.
On the bright side, Google also indicates what information is publically accessible and what information is not. So hopefully they will continue to abide by their “Do no evil” credo with all this information.