Search engines like Google give us access to information so that users can find services, news, all kinds of content and platforms that suit their needs. However, in order to display the results that suit our tastes, Google not only uses an algorithm to sort the results, but also collect a lot of information about users.
With just one search, Google can find the location and IP address from which the user is connected.
Nowadays there are many search engines on the market, such as Yandex, Baidu, Microsoft Bing or Duck Duck Go, that are based on offering privacy options to users. However, Google is most widely used in the world, so it can manage a large amount of user data.
In fact, by doing a search on Google, the search engine can know about us:
-Place: When searching, one of the first pieces of information Google collects is location. In fact, the location of the IP from which the user is connected is shown at the bottom of the Google homepage. This data is collected with every search as it is used to display local content. For example, when a user does a weather search, they’ll see the weather in the area they’re in.
-Device: Similarly, when searching, Google can tell if this is being done using a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, or other device. This information is part of so-called “unique identifiers”, e.g. B. the location, and help Google determine the format for displaying results and adapt the page to the size of the device. This information is also recorded by the browser itself, which also adapts the information to the device.
-IP address: This information is automatically recorded along with the location. With that in mind, it can be hidden using a VPN that masks this data.
-Search history: Google also has access to what was previously searched on the computer itself. Although this information is stored on the computer and in the browser, it is transmitted to Google, which uses this information to “filter” the content and tailor it to the tastes of the user.
-Browser: Every browser sends information to Google. So when you do a search it will automatically detect whether you are doing it through Mozilla, Chrome, Edge, Opera or another browser. This information in turn makes it possible to adapt the format and size of the content to the system of each browser.
-Synchronized services and devices: In addition to being a search engine, Google has other related services such as YouTube or Gmail. When searching from a device, Google can find information about these services if they are synchronized.
