Google knows about you even if you don’t use its products

Google’s sheer ubiquity means the tech giant has ample opportunity to collect data on you, whether you like it or not. Here’s a look at how much Google knows about you and what it does with that data.

Active collection: When consumers consciously interact with a Google product and provide it with personal information, like signing up for Gmail or using Search.

Passive collection: The less obvious method that sometimes collects data without user’s knowledge, including apps running in the background, Google’s advertising tools and its operating system Android.