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I'm an Android user, but I feel the same way. I sometimes wonder what would happen if I were to create a new Google identity and start fresh. Would they try t

by pcurve 9y ago

I'm an Android user, but I feel the same way. I sometimes wonder what would happen if I were to create a new Google identity and start fresh. Would they try to re-establish my old email's profile and data to the new one without my consent?

bsenftner 9y ago
Yes, definitely.
arunmib 9y ago
I tried this as an exercise when they were pushing Google+. Created a new account, was very cognizant to read through all settings and ensured that nothing from my old account can be traced back to this new one. I'm not joking when I say nothing from my old account and tracking: 1. I timed my move (to different city inside bayarea) 2. Changing ISP to wave from comcast 3. Bought new computer 4. Closed my old phone account and only started using work phone. Never used hotspot in my work phone 5. Even changed my coffee drinking habit + free wifi access locations from Starbucks to Peets. Only thing I couldn't change was my name + SSN. Serious paranoid level of things for my online life, but they still populated my digital life with same info and recommendations. After about 10-15 days of doing all this, I enabled Google+ (because at that time to use youtube account, I had to enable it). You know who the first contact recommendation that was there for me under my family - my brother who is living in a different country. I just gave up at that point. Probably I did something wrong during the setup (or) slipped and used the accounts for some period of time on same computer or browser (or) the data companies which sell my offline data have really rich data about me. Whatever the goof-up was, it was just disheartening to learn that after all that work my online privacy just lasted at the max 15days. I really wish there were better ways. Considering the number of security/data breaches (e.g. recent equifax one) I feel like, I have little to no control on things.
- pcurve 9y ago
  That is pretty frightening.... thanks for sharing your story.

by pcurve 9y ago

bsenftner 9y ago

Yes, definitely.

arunmib 9y ago

I tried this as an exercise when they were pushing Google+. Created a new account, was very cognizant to read through all settings and ensured that nothing from my old account can be traced back to this new one. I'm not joking when I say nothing from my old account and tracking: 1. I timed my move (to different city inside bayarea) 2. Changing ISP to wave from comcast 3. Bought new computer 4. Closed my old phone account and only started using work phone. Never used hotspot in my work phone 5. Even changed my coffee drinking habit + free wifi access locations from Starbucks to Peets. Only thing I couldn't change was my name + SSN. Serious paranoid level of things for my online life, but they still populated my digital life with same info and recommendations. After about 10-15 days of doing all this, I enabled Google+ (because at that time to use youtube account, I had to enable it). You know who the first contact recommendation that was there for me under my family - my brother who is living in a different country. I just gave up at that point. Probably I did something wrong during the setup (or) slipped and used the accounts for some period of time on same computer or browser (or) the data companies which sell my offline data have really rich data about me. Whatever the goof-up was, it was just disheartening to learn that after all that work my online privacy just lasted at the max 15days. I really wish there were better ways. Considering the number of security/data breaches (e.g. recent equifax one) I feel like, I have little to no control on things.

pcurve 9y ago
That is pretty frightening.... thanks for sharing your story.