Google Chromecast with Google TV

Google seems to do a better job than some of the other Big Tech companies when it comes to privacy (looking at you Facebook). That said, you should be aware they are a huge ad company that needs your data to sell ads. Google promises that your voice recordings won’t be used to send you personalized ads, but they admit transcripts of your voice interactions with your Google Assistant to control your Chromecast with Google TV may. So, when you say, “Hey Google, show me the football game,’ Google might assume you’re a sports fan and recommend you lots of other sports to watch, while also trying to sell you a jersey for the team you watch most. Google uses your personal information to show you ads all over the place like in your Gmail, in your favorite Solitaire app, on partner websites, and on YouTube. Yup, the ads are everywhere.

We do like that users are now automatically opted out of Google's human review of voice recordings, because that was super creepy. We also like that Google does try to communicate with users how they collect and use data in their Safety Center. Google does collect a lot of data on you, especially if you don't take the time to adjust your privacy settings to lock down just how much info they can gather. You should absolutely take the time to adjust these privacy settings. Just beware, you will get notifications that some things might not work right if you change settings. That’s annoying, and probably worth it for a little more privacy. If you don't take the time, it's possible Google can get to know you really well, maybe too well. Google knows that you like to watch sappy rom coms at certain times each month and starts treating you with ads for chocolate and wine and you fall into a rut of watching movies and eating chocolate and drinking wine and, you know what, that doesn't sound so bad. Maybe it's OK Google knows you so well. Maybe it's creepy?