Why No One Trusts Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook or Amazon

Tech companies are collect consumer data because they profit from selling it to advertisers, and marketers who use it to target their products to you. Sometimes this is a thinly veiled invasion of privacy, when you google up a swimsuit store, and within hours you start seeing swimsuits on your phone, your tablet and your PC browser. There is a very real possibility that your browser history may soon be used to affect your credit score. So there is a ligitimate area of concern when you use products from any major corporation that profits from information gathered from your use of the product.

Why No One Trusts Google

It’s simply that straightforward: nobody believes Google. Google’s entire modus operani is to introduce a free service, like a browser, gain market share one it, and then quietly change it so that it sells advertising to you. A free email system that quietly shares your inner thoughts with marketing teams. A browser that shuts off all other advertisers, but that collects data for Google’s benefit and profit.

Every time you commit your personal information to a Google service, Google turns around and starts to charge you, or sell your data. No wonder people who value privacy avoid Google products.

Google’s data harvesting discoveries are often a surprise to those that think Chrome is a browser, and not a harvester of advertising data. The entire Google Ecosystem is designed to capture data for Google’s revenue engine, which is totally based on selling your data for this highest price, and in a way that you will not notice or blame them.

Ceasing to use Google Chrome is a good first step. Even those who have privacy concerns cannot abandon Google Chrome in terms of the general population of this planet. Why is Google Chrome so effective? Because of its usability, it functions best even for persons who are not particularly comfortable with computers. Even those websites that don’t function properly on any other browser are displayed attractively by it.

Google gathers all of our information to profit from advertising. Google’s problem is that, unlike Facebook, it holds opposing positions. On one side, protecting your privacy with Android and its mail, docs, and drive ecosystem; on the other, an advertising powerhouse that generates most of its yearly revenue from $100 billion or more in ad expenditure. So it is essentially identical to Facebook in that way.

Why No One Trusts Microsoft

With Windows, people what a simple and clean operating system that has few problems and is stable. However, Microsoft wants a constantly updated OS that will someday allow them to charge a monthly price to use your PC. Microsoft will win this battle.

The result is a hopelessly complex Windows OS that auto-updates without permission and any update at any time may brick your PC without so much as an “I’m Sorry” from Microsoft. Windows XP was clean and straightforward and needed very little maintenance. Microsoft killed it.

Microsoft 2010 was the ultimate in functionality and required no maintenance. Twelve years later, people are using it fine. It had one problem – a perpetual license. Subsequent versions of Microsoft Office, also known as Office 365 and Microsoft 365, are sold by subscription. They are subject to constant updating from Microsoft to the point where Office 365 how carries advertising for non-Microsoft services. What could be ethically faulty about using your software to carry advertising that makes the vendor money?

Why No One Trusts Apple

Apple found itself in hot water when third-party contractors revealed they were able to listen in on audio recordings from Siri requests, which included all kinds of personal conversations and activities.

More than any other company, Apple has built a reputation on trust.  They promise the most effective devices and freedom from viruses and ransomware.  So you would think they would be the most transparent when real life happens to them.  The fact is that one lawsuit discovery showed that 128 million iPhones were hacked and Apple did not tell anyone.

Why No One Trusts Facebook

Facebook monitors your internet activity. The most recent iOS 14.5 Apple update allows users the choice to opt into monitoring across other applications and websites—a mechanism that Facebook relies on in order to serve you advertisements. You would have to be living under a rock to have missed this. The social network has been at odds with Apple for the past six months because of this.

Facebook naturally gathers your data even if it doesn’t monitor you across other websites and apps. It knows who you’ve interacted with and when, it has your preferences, it has your date of birth if you’ve submitted it, and it can approximate your age. The vast data machine of the social network is fed with all of this information.

Why No One Trusts Samsung

Samsung is based in South Korea.  There always seems a strange disconnect with the odd language usage in their marketing materials.  This is no mistake.  Samsung has numerous lawyers in the US assisting them to ensure that it says exactly what they want it to say.  You, the customer, have absolutely no right to privacy.

Creating a Samsung account requires give over your name, age, address, email address, and gender.  They wll also reserve the right to collect data such as credit card information, username, password for your device and for 3^rd party services, photos, contacts, text messages, recordings of your voice generated using voice commands, location data, wifi access points, cell towers and payment info.

The company says it uses this information for ad delivery, customer communication, enhancing their services, improving their business, identifying and preventing fraud and criminal activity, and compliance with legal requirements.  They reserve the right to share this information subsidiaries and affiliates, business partners, and related third parties.

So next time you go to the bathroom with your Samsung phone, keep in mind that your private moment may be shared on audio and video to Seoul Korea and everyone they consider a business partner.

How to Secure your PC from Google, Apple, Facebook and Apple

• Do not ever use Log In through Facebook, Google or Apple
• Keep your data Secure locally – do not use data storage services
• Do not share your contacts with any service.
• Use tools that will store your data securely like DejaOffice PC CRM Standalone.

When you start with a new PC, it is important to take steps to log in without a Microsoft account.  To do this, when you get to the log in screen, cut off your PC address and follow these specific instructions for offline Windwos 11 registration.

As you set up your programs and services, avoid using any services that log in through Google, or Facebook.  You will need to log into Google for Google Services, and Facebook for Facebook access.  But never use Google, Facebook or Apple logins for banking, photo management or document management.  Doing so may give up your privacy and right of ownership on those documents and photos.

When you create documents or use software, be sure to use a local program and not a web service.  So use Microsoft Word, and not Google Docs for your documents.  Use a local email system like Thunderbird and not an online system like Gmail.  You can use the same email provider, but be sure to store your mail offline so copies are not available in case your email provider gets hacked.

Some programs offer to capture your Contact List.  This is a red flag warning that they are capturing data to be used in advertising. There are a number of legal hoops they have to jump through.  So if any screen mentions GPDR, CCPA or privacy, it is right to assume they are asking permission to breach your privacy.

Tools You Can Use Securely:

Tools you can use securely:

• Thunderbird Email – Thunderbird is from Mozilla, which is a non-profit. It is the only free email client from a company that does not profit from advertising revenue.
• Firefox, not Chrome – Firefox is also from Mozilla. While not as flashy as Chrome, none of the ambiguity mars Google’s privacy features in Chrome while profiting from Advertising fed through Chrome.
• DejaOffice PC CRM Standalone for PC and phone – From CompanionLink, this product is marketed as a modern-day Palm Desktop. A fast and easy Personal Information manager from another company that does not profit from advertising.
• Microsoft Outlook using IMAP folders – Microsoft Exchange is suspect, but Office also supports IMAP emails. The IMAP protocol is secure and flexible. As long as Outlook supports IMAP folders, you have a secure solution for your business.

Summary

Apple claims to be better at protecting your data than Facebook or Google. But they have been caught red-handed in allowing 100 million customers to be hacked and not disclosing this fact to the public. 

So long as these industry titans blur the lines of ethics through extended customer agreements and finely printed contracts, every person needs to make efforts to keep their data secure and private. The US Constitution guarantees us a right to privacy. You need to use every opportunity to say No to corporations who profit from violating that right.