Wednesday, January 12, 2011

If I am Google what do I know about you

There are alreday posts talks about how much information given out through soical networking sites like facebook.
Has anyone thought about how much Google knows about you?
Atleast I can think of the following.

Name: From your Gmail account.

Date of Birth: From your Gmail account registration

Address : From your google checkout

Phone #: From your google checkout profile

Friends: From your google address book.

Credit card #: Well this as well stored in your Google Checkout profile.

Do you own iPad / iPhone: Well if you had one I am sure you might have accessed your Gmail through the same.

Do you own Mac / Laptop: Same as above.

Whom do you work for: Sounds interesting. If you happened do google search/ access email or other services of google from your work, your computer IP will tell whom do you work for.

Who is your Internet Service Provider: Based on your home computer IP.

Are you working from Home today: If your computer IP address switches suddenly to your work IP address, which means you are working from home as well as you are using your office Computer.

Where did you go last weekend: If you have enabled Google Latitude on your mobile, that can tell you turn by turn directions you took. This can also tell you how do you commute to work.

Your Skill sets: Based on your Google search terms, search results you click, Books you have bought through Google checkout.

Are you looking for Jobs: Based on email alerts you get from monster.com/dice.com mail accounts and if you open it regularly.

Have you got an offer: Well, Google already reads your email for targeted ads. It's just one step further to read an attachment from hr@your-dream-company.com

Bank Accounts you have: Sure enough you will get couple of emails from your Bank. Some times Banks email also contains your Account Balance.

Shares that you own: If you happened to use Google Finance and store your Stock information over there.

What's your blood group: If you store your health information in Google Health.

Friends Tel#: If you use Google Voice to call your friends (Since it is free).

Your Family members: Who ever use your Computer, if you think everyone has their own, still you need to share the same internet connection. Oops that will also tell Google how many Computers you have.

Well I talked a lot about what they know. It's time to dream about what they don't know. Got it. Yes that's your dream. Thank God it doesn't communicate anything over the internet and that's the only thing no one knows except YOU.