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Comment by reeteshv | Hacker News Reader

So, how many of those who support Apple are going to stop using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tinder, etc.? And, start going offline to protect their data?

I'm no expert but I believe that these services (individually &/or collectively) have far more detailed profiles of their users' lives than Google.

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Google has access to your current desires, things you say, search, email etc. Most of the information on twitter, LinkedIn etc is public unlike your private desires that only google knows from your search and ok google history

In fact, I would argue that Google has a much limited knowledge of our desires, opinions, etc. as compared to Facebook & Twitter. Yes, it tries to create a profile of who we are using the data that we provide to them while using their services. However, it is lame when you compare to the kind of detailed profile information that the other social services ask upfront, especially Facebook.

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz seems to disagree. People are more honest in their Google searches than on Facebook [0]. He wrote a book on titled "Everybody Lies" [1] where he talks more about his findings after being permitted access to user data from both.

[0] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/06/opinion/sunday/dont-let-f...

[1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AFXZ2F4/

Facebook et al know mostly about how you externalise your identity towards other people. The data they store would be well structured, but would also be limited, mostly to what you would tell your closest friends.

Whereas if someone collated together all of the web searches you have performed, they would know more about your most intimate and private thoughts than any other company could. Google knows the real, embarrassing, naked you.

> Facebook et al know mostly about how you externalise your identity towards other people. The data they store would be well structured, but would also be limited, mostly to what you would tell your closest friends.

100% bullshit, for Facebook at least. They have user-tracking elements all over third party websites just like google does (maybe not quite as many), and if you have any of their apps on your phone (including things they own like instagram and whatsapp) then they have access to almost the same data that google does.

Second that! And, as some people have reported in other threads, it is very difficult to close your Facebook account and take away all your data!

Twitter is more or less ok. There is not much information you can share on Twitter unintentionally (but I still may be wrong). Obviously - don’t use Facebook. Use DuckDuckGo for search. Use separate email accounts for amazon and social networks. Linkedin (as mentioned previously) is public. Don’t publish your non-business related information there.

It seems to me that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to expect any kind of privacy in the age of social media. Every company, be it Apple or Google, etc., collects data to mine them. Thus, it is unfair to keep singling out Google every time and make them to look more evil than they are.

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