Neither is GMail!
Happy Independence Day! 250 years ago, our forefathers adopted the Declaration of Independence and set us free from the taxation with no representation and tyranny of a government on the other side of the pond. We are blessed to celebrate two and half centuries of freedom.
There are some other freedoms I wish we could secure. Couple of days ago, I was speaking with a lady about the restaurant her father owns. I was completely surprised when I sat down at my computer an hour later and prominently displayed on my screen was an advertisement for the restaurant. I will be honest. It freaked me out a little, okay, maybe more than a little!
I’ve written about this before, but I think it is time for a refresher. Why is email and social media free? And what does the parent company get in return? The cynic in me believes these mega corps aren’t giving away free accounts because they want to “DO GOOD”. A quick search reveals a truth across all platforms, and by platforms I am referring to g-mail, yahoo mail, outlook mail, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and numerous others. (Note to self to research: is the formal name of “X” actually, “X”, or is the formal name “X-formerly Twitter”? Don’t think I’ve ever seen it listed as just “X”.)
This is what the platforms gain:
Valuable Data Insights: Your daily email activity, search habits, and web usage help build detailed profiles. This allows them to sell highly targeted, premium ads across its network and to third party data brokers.
Universal Account Login: A Gmail address serves as a universal key to unlock all of Google’s integrated services (e.g., Maps, Docs, Calendar). This keeps users engaged entirely within the Google ecosystem. Engaged users provide more data.
Ecosystem Up-Selling: Free accounts are gateways to monetization. They hook users into services which leads to upgrades for paid products such as Google One storage, Google Workspace subscriptions, or “X’s” verified checkmarks to name a few.
It’s not just email and social media scanning your data. Your cloud storage platforms are watching too. I’m talking Drop Box, OneDrive, Google Drive. I know you have nothing to hide but the horror stories are out there. The most common sited story is people losing access to decades of family photos, tax documents, emails because AI misidentified a photo of their toddler at the beach as illegal content. Once the automated system bans you, getting a human to review your case is impossible. I can attest to this firsthand. Facebook closed my account for a ”violation”. They didn’t tell what the violation was, and I spent inordinate amounts of time trying to regain access. I was unsuccessful. It sucked. It was the account tied to Comp-U-Talk. Lost… Gone Forever… No Explanations…
It’s okay to be angry about this. I am! The question is: What can you do about it? My recommendation for businesses, invest in a domain name and set up your own email addresses. Comp-U-Talk can provide hosting and assistance. If you are an individual, move your mail to a free proton.me account or a paid service like the Comp-U-Talk sponsored Coosnet.com.
Set your social media accounts to Private, dig thru settings and turn off Ad Tracking. Opt-Out of AI Training.
Replace or close file sharing services.
Need some help? We specialize in deploying hardened, enterprise-grade technology to secure your digital life. We will review your company’s current email, cloud storage, and backup systems. We will identify exactly where your data is leaking and provide a migration roadmap to secure, professional alternatives.
Call for your appointment today.
Janet
