An interesting deep-dive into how Google profiles and values different users.
It highlights that even though the service is “free”, the sheer value each user holds to Google from their data and ad-revenue. And with that, the impact you can have by leaving them.
If you haven’t already switched, you can check out the guide below to get started:
That doesn’t matter. It costs money for companies to place adds with Google. That money goes directly to them regardless of whether or not you make a purchase. They then make use of their vast data resources to target people with said ads, which may not affect you, but definitely pushes products (some business people have described a 3x on investment with Google and Facebook ads).
Because Google ads are on nearly every website, and because Google owns such a large bevy of services including search, YouTube, Gmail, and maps, they can collect all of this data into a scarily accurate profile of your behavior, interests, and beliefs. Data that is shared with their partners and ends up all over the internet.