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Ask HN: If I use GSuite does Google mine my data for their own purposes?

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Re: Ask HN: If I use GSuite does Google mine my data for their own purposes?

#31

Post by pengo »

pengo wrote: post #30

Google will capture your data whether you're a paying customer of not. They will tell you they capture "some data" to personalise their service and make your life more convenient. In reality, they capture everything they can and it's all grist to their advertising mill. But Google is not the only company doing this. Facebook and Amazon will track you across the internet, and even Microsoft is now adopting similar str…

If you can cope with living in a walled garden, replace all your devices with Apple products.

Re: Ask HN: If I use GSuite does Google mine my data for their own purposes?

#32

Post by [deleted] »

pengo wrote: post #30

Google will capture your data whether you're a paying customer of not. They will tell you they capture "some data" to personalise their service and make your life more convenient. In reality, they capture everything they can and it's all grist to their advertising mill. But Google is not the only company doing this. Facebook and Amazon will track you across the internet, and even Microsoft is now adopting similar str…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: If I use GSuite does Google mine my data for their own purposes?

#33

Post by jstimpfle »

pengo wrote: post #31
pengo wrote: post #30

Google will capture your data whether you're a paying customer of not. They will tell you they capture "some data" to personalise their service and make your life more convenient. In reality, they capture everything they can and it's all grist to their advertising mill. But Google is not the only company doing this. Facebook and Amazon will track you across the internet, and even Microsoft is now adopting similar str…

If you can cope with living in a walled garden, replace all your devices with Apple products.

I find it really hard to tell if you are cynical or not :-)

Not making any statement about the current Apple, of course... which I know next to nothing about since I've never owned any Apple devices.

Re: Ask HN: If I use GSuite does Google mine my data for their own purposes?

#35

Post by [deleted] »

jakejarvis wrote: post #7
neilsimp1 wrote: post #2

I'd be very surprised if Google wasn't doing that with your data. It's their business model.

Except when someone's paying them cold hard cash for something like G Suite, you'd think that should be enough of a business model for them...but I think you're right to remain skeptical of that. :\

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: If I use GSuite does Google mine my data for their own purposes?

#36

Post by maxxxxx »

choot wrote: post #8
josefresco wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the lazy... > G Suite customers own their data, not Google. The data that G Suite organizations and users put into our systems is theirs, and we do not scan it for advertisements nor sell it to third parties. We offer our customers a detailed data processing amendment that describes our commitment to protecting customer data. Furthermore, if customers delete their data, we commit to deleting it from our systems w…

Does it stop them from finding generalities in the data and selling that info?

I don't think so.

Re: Ask HN: If I use GSuite does Google mine my data for their own purposes?

#37

Post by gxigzigxigxi »

If you want an answer from someone who actually knows, consider contacting your gsuites account rep or asking on the support forum for gsuite. It is apparent from the other responses find their root in uninformed paranoia rather than actual knowledge.

(I don’t actually know either, and I think it depends on what you mean by “scan” and what program you’re worried is doing said scanning. It also depends what you mean by “for their own benefit.”)

Re: Ask HN: If I use GSuite does Google mine my data for their own purposes?

#38

Post by salomaki »

Yes on two levels:

1. If you're logged into Chrome or using Google properties, they're using your behavior along with everyone else's to see what patterns people have, what sites are popular, which ads convert, etc. If they were to stop doing that tracking whenever you're logged into a GSuite account, they'd publicize that loudly and clearly as a selling point. Given that they don't, I think it's reasonable to believe that they treat GSuite customers' behavioral data the same as all other users'.

2. Specifically your use/behavior of the GSuite products they will also use to improve the GSuite products themselves (and sell more, thereby advancing their business model). For example, if they see that nobody is using a particular feature, they may change where it shows up or eliminate it.

What they clearly publicize that they don't do is mine the content of your documents or put advertising inside the GSuite products themselves. But all the behavioral data/metadata you generate will still be used alongside everyone else's.

Re: Ask HN: If I use GSuite does Google mine my data for their own purposes?

#39

Post by danesparza »

jstimpfle wrote: post #33
pengo wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can cope with living in a walled garden, replace all your devices with Apple products.

I find it really hard to tell if you are cynical or not :-) Not making any statement about the current Apple, of course... which I know next to nothing about since I've never owned any Apple devices.

Apple makes some pretty strong claims about your privacy as a customer:

https://www.apple.com/privacy/

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