As a photo storage application, Google Photos collects various data on iPhone, including phone contacts or transaction history.
After a while of not updating, Google has added a list of collected data for all products released on the App Store, including the photo storage application Google Photos. Like Gmail, Chrome or Maps, Google Photos collects more data than apps of its kind, including Apple Photos. The data collection list is revealed as Google complies with Apple’s new rule, which requires all apps released on the App Store to list the types of data it collects, such as browsing history or location, including personal information. associated with the user’s identity (financial data, contacts…), serving personalized advertising. This list is called Privacy Label. Zing Summary of article translation by author Zak Doffman on Forbes about Google Photos collecting too much data on the iPhone. Google Photos collects many times more data than Apple Photos Looking at the Google Photos privacy label on the App Store, it’s not surprising that the app collects a lot of data, including seemingly unrelated information such as transaction history, phone numbers. … According to Google, the privacy label shows all the information that can be collected, but what data is actually recorded depends on the feature used. 
The Google Photos privacy label on the App Store reveals how much more data the browser collects than Apple Photos, which comes pre-installed on the iPhone. Photo: Forbes. “We will collect contact data if you want to share photos with others, or if you want to buy photo books, we will store credit card information, shopping data. They will not be collected if you don’t want to share photos or buy photo books,” explains Google. That’s Google’s description of how their photo-saving apps get contact information or transaction history. The company believes that iCloud is the storage platform behind Apple Photos, while Google Photos has its own storage and some special features. However, history shows that Apple and Google’s approach to privacy are very different. While Apple only collects data, receives revenue from the purchase and use of Apple products, Google’s revenue is largely based on personalized advertising, which appears on the majority of websites you visit on the Internet. . The closer the ad is displayed to the audience, the more money Google will collect based on the click. There are two main sections in the privacy label on the App Store, including “linked data” and “unlinked data”. Developers only use unaffiliated data to improve the service, track usage frequency or the location where it is most enabled. As for the linked data, they can use it to paint a “picture” of your interests and activities on the Internet. Compared to Apple Photos, Google Photos is a more complex application, so users can accept sending a lot of information to Google to use all functions. However, if you look at the Chrome browser, all the collected data is linked to the user’s identity. Finding the basic difference between Chrome and Safari or other browsers is not easy. 
Millions of Apple product users are using Google Photos, according to Forbes. Photo: 9to5Google. Various ways to get Google’s data Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google once affirmed that “do not use information in applications that mainly store personal data such as Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Photos for advertising purposes”. However, even if Photos doesn’t collect information for advertising purposes, Google’s advertising ecosystem is quite complex, and it doesn’t need to link directly to a person’s specific activity to target an audience. Google argues that Apple has its own advantages when it comes to collecting data from a variety of sources. Meanwhile, Google requires users of Apple and other platforms to create login accounts, which is like creating a repository of information about them similar to the Android platform. When you install Google Photos on your iPhone, you’ll get a notification that says “Google Photos needs to access all your photos” to view, share, and back up photos. However, from a privacy perspective, it’s an “all or nothing” question, users need to accept that data leaves Apple’s control to another company if they want to use the service normally. often. Google also confirmed the collection of EXIF data in each photo. These are parameters related to the time, the exact location at which the photo was taken, including the device and camera settings. “We use EXIF to improve in-app experiences, such as memories (Memories) or photo book recommendations based on recent travel,” Google said. 
Google also confirmed to collect EXIF data in each image. Photo: Culf of Mac. Finally, your information may serve an advertisement, even if it is not mentioned directly. Facebook has admitted that even without permission to share location on smartphones, it can still collect this information based on EXIF in uploaded photos. Over the past few years, the technology industry has had to pay more attention to customer privacy as many lawmakers become increasingly concerned about the misuse of user data. Google is facing at least three major antitrust lawsuits, including a landmark lawsuit initiated by the US Department of Justice and a complaint from a bipartisan coalition of states. While Google Photos has more features than Apple Photos or some other apps, understand the data trade-offs when you accept it. Everyone has the right to choose what services and data is collected. If you still use Google Photos despite reading the privacy label, that’s your decision. Why doesn’t Google want you to say ‘Go Google’? If Google is so widely used that it no longer defines what it is but is used as a generic term, they could lose the trademark.
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