Computer Active Magazine 484 Back Issue

WHO'S SPYING ON YOUR PC?
How would you react if the next time you walked into a restaurant you’d never visited before the head waiter not only greeted you by name, but also reeled off your address? Then, before you’d had a chance to sit down, he asked you about your recent holiday to the Costa del Sol, before telling you that your best friend visited the restaurant recently and would definitely recommend the chicken chasseur. When you come to order, the waiter recites every meal you’ve eaten in the past five years (reminding you which you liked best). Then, when you finally get to finish your meal, you’re told there’s no need to provide your payment details because the restaurant already has them. It’s fair to say you might be a little perturbed. And yet, many of us hand this type of personal information to Google without a second thought. If you use Chrome, have a Gmail account or own an Android phone then Google has its eye on you. That’s because its entire business model is based on gathering as much information about us as possible.