I created a google takeout and in that zip file I found some files containing a ton of data about me. It has logged every single page I visited while using the google search engine and chrome browser. It even logged every single time I opened an app on my old android phone. It even has VOICE RECORDINGS of me and a log of every time I used google assistant. This is just some of the data and I’m very sure there is even more data they have.
I rarely interact in any meaningful way with anything in Google’s ecosystem these days. I’m still tied by a couple little whispy threads, but nothing serious. I’m running GrapheneOS with no Google apps, switched my email to Proton, switched to Firefox, search with Brave, use a NAS for cloud storage, and browse YouTube anonymously with NewPipe. Occasionally I’ll get an email on one of my old Gmail addresses, but other than that I feel like I’ve sufficiently deGoogled enough to feel safe.
This! I genuinely love my phone now that’s never happened before.
What do you do for maps/navigation?
OsmAnd and Organic Maps. They’re both not as good as Google Maps. But at least when I use them Google doesn’t get to know that I traveled 15km across town to fuck a Tinder thot and buy bread.
Username checks out