you are not an idiot

You are actually quite smart.

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So you can better protect your privacy.

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Let's use Google as an example.

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Google reads your emails

Gmail processes emails, and as it is a cloud-based system rather than fully end-to-end encrypted, it raises privacy concerns.

Proton Mail uses end-to-end encryption. Even Proton cannot read your emails. Nobody can.

Google tracks everywhere you go

Google Maps and Location History could be logging your movements, like where you work, where you sleep, who you visit. Data may be retained for extended periods and can be disclosed to law enforcement through legal requests.

Organic Maps does not store your location. There is no profile. There is no history to hand over.

Google's business model is your attention

Google makes nearly all of its money from advertising. That means the product is you. Google knowing your behavior, your habits, your fears, your desires, is the price of a free product.

Signal is operated by a non-profit foundation funded through donations and grants.

Google search filters what you see

Search results can be personalised based on your data. Two people searching the same thing see different results. Your worldview might be quietly being shaped by an algorithm optimised for engagement, not truth.

DuckDuckGo provides less personalised responses, with minimal user tracking.

Google might know more about you than your family does

Between Search, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Chrome, Android, and Drive, Google can aggregate large amounts of data across services.

Proton's suite - Mail, Drive, VPN, Calendar, etc. - provides privacy-focused tools for common needs, with less surveillance.

Overall:

Using non-privacy-focused platforms like Google, your data is stored and often used to build profiles based on your activity, habits, and interactions. This can help personalise services and ads, but also allows behavioural tracking across apps and services, plus data sharing through integrations and legal requests. Privacy-focused alternatives reduce this by limiting tracking and using encryption so less of your data can be accessed or monetised.