Tech & Biz

Google Dashboard: What Does Google Know About You?

by Yuliya Talmazan | November 5, 2009 at 12:38 pm

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Google dashboard is a new service that Google offers, which displays all the data you have ever given out to Google and answers the question of how much Google really knows about you. By going to https://www.google.com/dashboard/, you can get a summary of your Google account, Alerts, Calendar, Contacts, Google Docs, Gmail, iGoogle, Google Profile, Google Reader, Google Talk, and even your Web History.

The new privacy dashboard aggregates all the data and info that you shared with Google in the years past. As to the utility of Google dashboard, it is really just a compilation of all the Google services that you have used in the past, leaving personal data behind. It is convenient to see everything summed up like that, but there is really no new valued added aside from letting you see just how many Google services you are using. It also makes for a good discussion on Internet privacy.

Consumer Watchdog noted today that Google should give its users more freedom to delete their personal data and take more control.

"If Google really wanted to give users control over their privacy it would give consumers the ability to be anonymous from the company and its advertisers in crucial areas such as search data and online behavior," said John M. Simpson, consumer advocate with Consumer Watchdog. "The Dashboard gives the appearance of control without the actual ability to prevent Google from tracking you and delivering you to its marketers."

Consumer Watchdog said Google should offer a simple "Make-me-anonymous" or "Don't track" button or icon on its home page, or at the very least in its Dashboard, that would prevent search information from being logged at the choice of the user.

However, the product video that Google has released on YouTube does mention that Google dashboard offers an option to "never save" the data you give out as a Google service user.

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at 21:35 on November 7th, 2009

"If Google really wanted to give users control over their privacy it would give consumers the ability to be anonymous from the company and its advertisers in crucial areas such as search data and online behavior," said John M. Simpson, consumer advocate with Consumer Watchdog. "The Dashboard gives the appearance of control without the actual ability to prevent Google from tracking you and delivering you to its marketers.".