Google offers 2GB free storage for security check

This requires you give them your real name, and phone number. Something I will not do.

Your paranoia adds some humour to my day!

Why would you use this if you don't have a Google account anyway?

Your paranoia adds some humour to my day!

Google is an advertising company. That's fact. They offer you free things in exchange for your information. Also a fact. You are therefore their commodity being sold to advertisers. No paranoia needed, these are all readily available facts.

Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft and all the other have been shown to give the data they collect on you willingly to security agencies. The agencies also take data at will, whether it's offered or not.

No paranoia involved.

Why don't you post all the private details about yourself here? Name, phone number, credit card numbers . . . after all, there's nothing to worry about, right?

Why would you use this if you don't have a Google account anyway?

If you buy an Android device, you have no choice but to sign up for a Google account. You don't have to give them this information when you sign up, only when you want additional 'free' cloud storage space. It's just a carrot and stick approach to glean more information from you.

Incorrect.

I manage a multi-million dollar budget of Google accounts, no need for the lesson.

Google sells advertising via it's network, search and display and doesn't sell the information located in your personal account. It will, however, show you ads based on that information while using a Google product or service.





You act like they can't get it already. If the NSA or CSIS want your details, they definately don't need any of the above, your ISP, cell records, banking records, address, tax history are all available.




Again, more paranoia. Adding your name to your online accoint at Google, OneDrive , etc isn't the same as posting it on an open forum. Especially since the information isn't public.

Incorrect.

I manage a multi-million dollar budget of Google accounts, no need for the lesson.

Google sells advertising via it's network, search and display and doesn't sell the information located in your personal account. It will, however, show you ads based on that information while using a Google product or service.

So, you are saying Google is not an advertising company because you pay them multimillions of dollars for access to their advertising machine?

Fail.



You act like they can't get it already. If the NSA or CSIS want your details, they definately don't need any of the above, your ISP, cell records, banking records, address, tax history are all available.

If it's not online, or on my computer then they cannot get it, now can they? If I freely give them this information, then it's my own damn fault if it is out in 'the wild'.



Again, more paranoia. Adding your name to your online accoint at Google, OneDrive , etc isn't the same as posting it on an open forum. Especially since the information isn't public.

Heartland, Target, Sony Entertainment, Anthem . . Apple iCloud services anyone? - all these companies had private data on people that the people gave them thinking it would remain private. It didn't.

There is a lot of suspicion that foreign governments are behind a lot of these breaches. If they can get data from multiple sources on an individual, the data mining they can do is quite scary. They can align data from any different sources and come up with some interesting conclusions, like the famous case of Wal-Mart knowing a young customer was pregnant before her father did.

Ever see those click bait polls; "What your birthday says about you!" or "What your mothers maiden name reveals about your family history!" ? Well guess what, the data goes back to companies that amalgamate it and sell it, and now they know your date of birth and mothers' maiden name.

If I never give my information out, it can never be compromised. It's not paranoia if there are actually companies collecting and selling this information. It's ignorance to say they don't.

Where did you read that?

From the link it seems that you just have to run the security check thingy, you don't actually have to do anything or give them any more real information.

Where did you read that?

From the link it seems that you just have to run the security check thingy, you don't actually have to do anything or give them any more real information.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/googl ... -1.2952011

Same as if you are signing up for a new account:

https://accounts.google.com/SignUp?cont ... ureaccount



It's also optional not to sign up for it. So, I don't.

Your comment here, is the one that's incorrect.





Sure they can. Are you that naive to thing the NSA and CSIS can't get this information about you, online or not? Everything about you is already online...governments, banking, ISP....




And what happened to the vast majority of people? Nothing.

Paranoia.



Companies have been collecting information since well before the internet and sensitive information about you is still accessible. Your internet habits, your mobile calling habits, your banking, your television habits....don't kid yourself.

So paranoid yet so naive.

And yet, that number isn't sold to anyone. It's used for your account security.

Your comment here, is the one that's incorrect.



So, by paying Google for access to the eyeballs they control, you didn't buy a commodity? Google didn't sell that commodity to you, the advertiser? Google isn't selling access to the eyeballs it has in it's database? Then, pray tell, how do they earn all that money?

Fail.



Sure they can. Are you that naive to thing the NSA and CSIS can't get this information about you, online or not? Everything about you is already online...governments, banking, ISP....

Government information is, by law, not given to other government departments or to foreign powers outside of certain information. Tax records, for example, are not shared outside of the Revenue department. Banks are also forbidden from sharing information about you. And there are people in both places, like me, whose job it is to make sure that doesn't happen.



And what happened to the vast majority of people? Nothing.

Paranoia.

Identity theft. Nude photos posted online. Happens every day, so not paranoia.



Companies have been collecting information since well before the internet and sensitive information about you is still accessible. Your internet habits, your mobile calling habits, your banking, your television habits....don't kid yourself.

So paranoid yet so naive.

Speak for yourself! They haven't been collecting information on me, because I do not give it out. And, as above, banking information is restricted.

I only wish I could be as ignorant as you seem to be about what your data points actually mean to some companies, and the lengths they are willing to go to to get them. But hey, good luck with that privacy thing! The only one who will protect it for you, is you!

And yet, that number isn't sold to anyone. It's used for your account security.

None of the data stolen from companies every year is sold. If they don't have it, it can't be stolen.

You don't have a clue!

Google sells advertising to people based on their search history. Search Engine Marketing. It has nothing to do with people signed up for Google services.

Fail.




And yet, it does happen. Just like my personal information was sold by my local hospital so I could be sold investments for my newborns.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybr ... 28876.html

My information was also lost from my local public health office after my family and I went for the H1N1 shot a while back.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/05 ... ation.html



Of the billions who use the internet daily and have their information 'out there' it's quite rare.

How do people hack into Facebook or other social media tools? Not via the company, usually by guessing a really easy password.




Sure they have. Especially telecoms. You have a mobile device? It tracks your location when you make calls.

Based on your knowledge of what Google does with respect to advertising, I'm thinking a lack of knowledge might be the cause of your paranoia.