Google is collecting more data than anyone else in its Chrome web Browser

After months of stalling, Google finally revealed how much personal data the company stores in Chrome and its Google app. No wonder they wanted to hide it. Up until now, it was clear that Google was collecting data through its Chrome web browser and other services, but most users probably did not know the exact data types and data that Google was collecting. 

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.

The collected and linked data is sorted into three categories – analytics, product personalization and app functionality.  Here is the entire list:

Analytics

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

Product Personalization

Location — -Coarse Location

Browsing History — Browsing History

Identifiers — User ID, Device ID

Usage Data — Product Interaction

App Functionality

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.

How about other browsers? 

• Mozilla collects contact info (email), user ID and device ID
• DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser – nothing at all
• Brave – nothing at all
• Microsoft Edge – the device ID, browsing history and diagnostic crash data, and 
• Opera – the Device ID, Location, and diagnostics.