How does Google collect your personal information?
The issue is that, for most of us, it’s happening without us knowing. And the bigger issue is that Google dominates the global search market, holding 89.62% of the market share (Statista). That’s thanks to 16.4 billion daily searches, according to data released by Google for March 2025. Every search is data, every click is data, every upload to Google Lens is data, and every Google Maps route is data.
But how does Google extract your personal information? Read on to find out.
How Google Collects Your Personal Information
Let’s go straight into the answer. We sort of gave it away in the introduction. Google primarily collects your personal information through your online activities. It really is every search, every click, every upload, etc. It’s called your ‘digital footprint.’ And Google loves it. It uses it for marketing, understanding user behaviors, and improving its search engine.
Officially, Google can collect your personal information from the following activities:
- Activity from within Google services
- Data from third-party websites
- Apps using Google services (YouTube, etc).
- Device information
They’re not necessarily private about the information they’re collecting about you. They have a lengthy data policy readily available for you to read. See Google’s privacy policy here for the specifics.
From your stored bank account and card details to your browsing habits, Google knows everything about you.
People know this about Google. It’s one of the many reasons digital privacy is becoming such a hot topic. More and more users are starting to question just how much of their personal data is floating around online—and what they can actually do about it. That’s where the need to erase pe2rsonal information from internet comes in. Whether it’s deleting outdated search results, removing contact details from data broker sites, or clearing saved entries from your Google account, people are actively looking for tools and methods to take back control of their digital presence. It’s especially true when they begin to suspect that Google isn’t just storing the data, but might be sharing it too…
Does Google Share Your Information With Third Parties?
Yes, but you’ve probably agreed to it without realizing it. And this is where it can become an issue for some people. Only 9% of people read the terms and conditions (Security.org). We’re sure even those 9% of people are lying. Or they at least don’t read them in full.
Within those terms and conditions is typically a section that outlines that, when you click accept, you’re giving permission for them to share your information with third parties. It’s worth noting that Google doesn’t sell your information; it just hands it out for free once you give permission.
Google Help does state you can stop sharing your Google Account data with a third-party account at any time in your app settings. We’d 100% recommend that. Google might be safe (most of the time), but third parties are sometimes more vulnerable.
What You Can Do About It
There’s the option to erase personal information from data stores, like Google’s. Follow the process on the link we’ve provided. It’s basically the process of cleaning your digital footprint. The objective is to ensure third parties won’t have access to your personal information.
But we won’t lie: it’s a complex, ongoing process. You can erase your digital footprint, but every future click, search, etc., builds it back up. It’s worth noting that if you do find data brokers have your information stored, you can opt for them to remove it, but they can legally collect it again after 90 days. We recommend setting reminders to restart the process every 90 days.
So, now you can see what we mean. How does Google not collect your personal information? Keep yourself safe online and always read the terms and conditions. And don’t forget to remove your personal information frequently.