Googles Monopoly isn’t Search – It’s Data – About You!

(update: 3-18-2025: many freinds have shown us atleast a dozen more ways that Google can track you than the 30 we list below. A followup article will explore those in the future(/update)

New: Listen instead to an audio notebook.lm podcast version:

What can Google track of you, your presence, and your actions across the web? The results may astound you with the ways that Google can follow you around the web. It is such pervasive surveillance network, that it is almost easier to ask, where they can’t’ track you than it is to ask where they can track you. As far as we can see from the outside-looking-in, there is no other entity even remotely close to being able to track you so extensively.

This all came about when good old Barry Schwartz put up a nice post earlier on a Google AI Overviews change and in the middle of it, he asked a simple question:

“How does Google know people spend more time on sites from clicks from AI Overviews? Does Google track people after they click off the results and onto sites? Is Google uses GA data for this? Google has said countless times over the years they don’t use this data – so how does Google know?”

I’d started to leave a reply over there, and it quickly became a longer endeavor that I thought was worthy of it’s own post.

What follows below goes well beyond what was inspired, and by the time I was done with this, I set here sullen and considerably concerned with just how many ways Google can see you. I really came to realize the dystopian reality we are living in. I wonder if George Orwell were alive today, would he be as worried about the Govt, or more about Google? I mean once you put this in relation to an AI analyzing all this mountain of data – HOLY  F*CK batman, does Google ever get a picture of who you are – and we envision: eventually how to manipulate your behavior! That might seem like a leap to some, but you watch what is about to happen the next five years with Google. Google’s monopoly is not in Search, it is in Data.

So that all said, lets count the ways that Google can track you “off google”.

1. Chrome Usage Data (Beyond Just History)

• Autocomplete and Omnibox Queries: The rub is that even if users don’t complete a search, Google still gets the query (and your ip), and Chrome collects what they type in the address bar.
• Browsing Behavior: Not just simple history – Google can see page dwell time, scroll depth, and interaction patterns. (see below)
• Site Performance Metrics: Google gets real-world speed and UX data from Chrome’s Core Web Vitals reports.
• Also, users can choose to share data with Google to “improve the quality of chrome”. eg: all you data in the browser belongs to us.

2. Google Analytics (GA)

Do we really need to say more? It’s on 65% of all websites. Your ip is transmitted to google every time you land on a page using GA. So that gives them:

• Bounce Rates & Exit Pages: All the warm and fuzzy site engagement signals.
• Conversion Data: How users move through a site’s funnel.
• Traffic Sources: Can infer referral strength, social influence, direct navigation rates, and all correlated with link data from page rank. EEAT anyone?

3. Google Ads & AdSense Data

Probably shouldn’t lump these together, but you get the idea. Like GA, AdSense is on a boat load of sites out there:

• Display Network (GDN) Activity: Tracks what sites users visit, where they click, and engagement levels.
• Ad Click and Conversion Data: Signals user interest and intent across various verticals and how they came to be on a site.
• Retargeting Pixels: Tied to users’ browsing and shopping behaviors across the web.

4. Android & Google Play Data

• App Usage Data: Time spent in apps, interactions, and permissions granted. Whew, this is a window in the soul of the user.
• GPS Location Data: Physical movement patterns, visits to stores, and real-world interactions. Remember, Google was sued and lost big when they were found transferring location data without user permission.
• Search Within Apps: Google can track searches within Android apps via App Indexing schemes.

5. Google DNS (8.8.8.8)

Google operates Google Public DNS, a free resolution service that anyone can use instead of their internet provider’s DNS. The “stated” primary purpose is to improve browsing speed, security, and reliability, but it also serves as a valuable data source for Google.

• Website Traffic : Google can see all domain dns requests and infer traffic levels for sites that don’t use Google Analytics, or Google AdSense, or Google Captcha.

6. YouTube Activity

• Video Search Trends: What users are searching for on YouTube influences broader search trends.
• Watch Time & Engagement: Google can determine what types of content are holding users’ attention.

7. Google Search Console (Indirect)

• Click Data: Though limited to site owners, Google has an aggregated view across the web.
• Crawl and Indexation Patterns: How Googlebot interacts with sites reveals structural and linking trends. (which makes it easier to connect the dots of surfing)

8. Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Calendar, Workplace, Lens, Image Search, etc.)

• Gmail Data: While anonymized for ranking, email receipts, newsletters, and discussions can hint at emerging trends.
• Google Docs & Drive Searches: What people are writing and searching for in their own documents and when they share external links to those docs.
• When users upload images to Google Lens, Google can extract:
  • Text (OCR) from documents, receipts, business cards.
  • Objects and product data for recommendations.
  • Landmarks and geolocation data from background elements.

9. Voice Search & Assistant Data

This is of course all searchable on a micro and macro level. We must remember that with Google owning Android, anything done on an Android phone is available for Google to monitor.

• Google Assistant Queries: What people ask through voice cmds is often different from text-based searches.
• Google Home & Nest: Smart home queries provide insights into product and information interests. Again, more data for the big machine.

10. Maps & Local Search Data

• Google Business Profiles: How users interact with local business listings (clicks, calls, reviews, visits).
• Navigation & Foot Traffic Data: Movement patterns between locations.

11. Social Signals (Indirectly)

• While Google doesn’t directly index most social media activity, it can still pick up:
  • Public posts that get engagement (Xwitter, Reddit, Quora, LinkedIn, etc.).
  • Social referral traffic to a website.
  • Influencer site mentions that generate backlinks.

12. ISP-Level Data (Speculative)

• While Google doesn’t own ISPs in most regions, it can still aggregate data from the mega-Google Fiber ISP and partner ISPs where data-sharing agreements exist. In other words, all your surfing belongs to Google.

13. AI-Driven Trend Analysis

• Bard, Gemini, and the LLM Race Condition Feedback Loop.  Google’s AI models process user interactions to refine query intent.
• Google Discover & News Signals: What people engage with in their personalized feeds.
• Loop: See Loop.

14. Google Captcha

• Google Captcha sends your IP to Google every time you use it. Everybody gets cookies!

15. Login With Google

• Login With Google has buttons that get downloaded via JS from Google (presto – every site using Login with Google sends your IP to Google)

16. Cars and Services

• Google provides GPS mapping services for many car manufactures (such as Polestar, Honda, Renault, GM, Volvo, Teslas). Many of those care require a login from the user – which is all trackable and link’able to the user. Additionally,  most of these have a “home” address button, so Google can link that to an account if you don’t login. Or, they can simply look at your GPS and know where you are at.

17. Android Auto

• Aside from mapping (like above) Google also sells Android car play systems. Those offer a wider array of services than just maps. Many of those require logging int.

18. Android TV

• ​ Android TVs can monitor user behavior. All of them require the user to login or suffer through incessant prompting to do so.  These TV’s all contain links to Google properties such as YouTube. They can track you through various technologies, primarily Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). ACR identifies what content is being viewed. That enables the collection of data on user preferences and viewing habits. This information is often utilized for personalized advertising and content recommendations.

19. Wearables: Fitbit, Pixel Watch, Google Health

• ​ That watch or Fitbit on your arm is owned by Google – so is all your data you generated. GPS, heart rate, sites surfed, apps added, sleep data, and outside providers you authorize like blood pressure cuffs….all in Googles domain)

20. Nest, Cameras, Doorbells, Smart Speakers, Smoke Alarms

Lions, tigers, and bears – oh my!

• Cameras and nest auto detect movement – knowing when you are home and when you could be viewing or clicking on ads.
• chrome cast and chrome assist all log interactions, clicks, and voice commands.

21. Stadia (Formerly) and Cloud Gaming Services

Google shut down Stadia, but Google Play Games on PC still allows tracking of:

• Games played, session length, and in-game purchases.
• Game search data, which can be used to profile interests.

22. Google Shopping and Retail Data

• Product searches and price tracking behavior.
• Click-to-buy conversions across retailers.
• Payment details if you use Google Pay (which ties purchase history directly to an account). Even in-store purchases can be tracked if the retailer uses Google Pay, location tracking, or store visit data.

23. WiFi & MAC Address Tracking

• Google scans WiFi networks via Android devices to improve its location services.
• Your MAC address (device ID for WiFi connections) can be logged when using public networks.
• This helps Google track users even when GPS is turned off.

24. Public Data Scraping

Google indexes and scrapes publicly available data, which can include:

• Publicly posted resumes (LinkedIn, personal sites).
• Company org charts (Glassdoor, business directories).
• Legal filings and court records.
• Government databases when accessible.

25. Device Sensors & Motion Tracking

• Gyroscope & accelerometer data (can detect movement, whether you’re walking, running, or driving).
• Bluetooth signals (for proximity tracking and device interaction).
• Light and sound sensors (used for adaptive brightness and audio tuning but also data points for contextual tracking).

26. Google Domains & Web Hosting

• Google runs Google Domains (sold to Squarespace), but before that, it had millions of registered domains. They still own Charleston Road Registry.
• Google Cloud hosts millions of websites, which means backend server logs can be used to monitor web traffic patterns.
• Even after selling Google Domains, Google Cloud and Firebase still provide tracking infrastructure

27. Google Pixel Phones and other First Party Hardware

• This one goes without saying, but for completeness sake, we have to include Pixel here because it provides even deeper tracking than a regular Android device.
  • Now Playing logs background audio (e.g., what songs play near you in your environment).
  • Active Edge & Gestures track user behavior.
  • AI-powered call screening logs caller data.
  • Face Unlock & fingerprint data (biometric authentication stored locally but still linked to Google services).

28. Google Classroom & Education Data

• Google provides tools to schools via Google Classroom, Docs, and Chromebooks.
• Can track student engagement, assignments, and collaboration patterns.
• Many school districts require students to use Google accounts, effectively building long-term user profiles starting at a young age.

29. Federated Learning & AI Model Training

Google doesn’t just track your behavior – it also learns from it:

• Federated learning enables training AI models on user devices (without raw data being sent to Google).
• Google’s AI models adapt to individual users, meaning ads, search results, and content recommendations get more personalized over time.

For example, even if Google doesn’t store an individual’s voice search queries, it can improve voice recognition based on repeated interactions.

Conclusion

Google’s tracking extends far beyond the typical search, ads, and browsing behavior – it reaches into hardware, software, education, health, and even real-world movement. The breadth of data sources is stunning. It means Google can track users at multiple levels, even without cookies or direct logins.

The real question isn’t “How does Google track you?” but “How can you even escape it?”