Google finally reveals what Personal Data Chrome and other Apps collect
Google has finally revealed the kinds of data, including personal data chrome and other apps collect. The disclosure was made after Apple’s new privacy policy mandated app developers to report their data collection activities and help consumers understand how their personal data is used. The “privacy nutrition labels” are part of Apple’s new privacy protection policy that came into effect on December 8, 2020.
Apple has been integrating a range of privacy safeguards into its goods and services in recent years, positioning itself as a more private and safe alternative to other products and services from rivals Facebook and Google.
Beginning with iOS 14, first- and third-party applications must not only notify users about the data they collect but also obtain their permission to do so. The privacy labels aim to condense an app’s data collection activities into a concise and user-friendly format without going into great detail about what the data is used for.
As per Vox, the aim is to strike a balance between giving the general user enough details to understand what an app is doing with their data. The other objective is also to summarize the privacy policies and not complicate them for the users.
Apple recently updated its privacy page with a new “Labels” section that gathers all of Apple’s privacy labels in one place, making it easier for users to learn how Apple apps handle their data.
What data Google and Other Browser Collect?
All applications on Apple’s App store now need to reveal to users the data that they collect and link to the user. If you open the Google Chrome listing on Apple’s App store website, and click on the “see details” link under App Privacy on the page, you will get the list of data that is linked to you when you are using the browser on Apple iOS devices. It is likely, but not confirmed, that most of these are also collected and linked in Chrome on Android and desktop devices.
| Analytics | Product Personalization | App Functionality |
| Location — Coarse Location User Content – Audio Data, Customer Support Browsing History – Browsing History Identifiers — User ID, Device ID Usage Data — Product Interaction Diagnostics — Crash Data, Performance Data, Other Diagnostic Data Other Data — Other Data Types | Location — -Coarse Location Browsing History — Browsing History Identifiers — User ID, Device ID Usage Data — Product Interaction | Financial Info — Payment Info Location — Coarse Location User Content — Audio Data, Customer Support, Other User Content Browsing History — Browsing History Identifiers — User ID, Device ID Usage Data — Product Interaction Diagnostics — Crash Data, Performance Data, Other Diagnostic Data Other Data — Other Data Types |
Google collects a user ID and device ID, the browsing history, usage data, diagnostics data and more. Mozilla collects only your email address, user ID, and system ID; DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser and Brave collect nothing; Microsoft Edge collects your device ID, browsing history, and diagnostic crash data; and Opera collects your device ID, location, and diagnostics. In its Chrome web browser, Google collects more data than anyone else.
DDG Calls out Google
DuckDuckGo (DDG), a privacy-focused search engine, accused Google of spying on users after the latter changed privacy labels on Apple’s App Store to display the types of data it gathers.
DDG took to Twitter to point out that Google had finally added labels for ‘Scan’ and ‘Gmail’ after months of delay.
“Google finally disclosed how much personal data they collect in Chrome and the Google app after months of stalling. It’s no surprise they decided to keep it hidden,” DDG wrote.
The Company also published an infographic contrasting DDG’s and Google’s privacy labels. DDG does not collect any data, while Google Chrome and Search collect data on location, browsing history, financial details, user content, and identifiers.
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