Survey: 86% are fed up with Big Tech. Here’s how to get your privacy back

Years ago, we searched the web, bought new gadgets, and typed our email addresses without much thought. As for accounts, “hey if it’s free, sign me up,” we thought.

Fast forward now, and you can’t go online or turn on the news without hearing about Big Tech’s control over our lives — and the growing outrage around it.

We are not the only ones to notice. Perhaps due to government initiatives, tech companies are making changes to address these concerns. You can now password protect the page that reveals all of your Google searches and other activities.

If you have an iPhone, it’s easier than ever to see what information the apps you use are collecting and block that data from being shared. Tap or click for five iPhone security settings everyone should know about.

Americans are finally waking up to the fact that when a product is free, they are actually the product.

Big Tech: Do You Trust It?
I hear all the time from callers on my national radio show and readers of my website and newsletters who say they are tired of Big Tech companies, their power, and their control. I wondered, how widespread is this feeling? I took a survey and sent it to subscribers of my free newsletters, and 6,351 people responded.

Here’s an important takeaway for you: 86% say they no longer trust Big Tech companies. As a country, we realize how much power and influence they have on our daily lives.

Take Smart in Your Inbox: Technology changes by the minute. Keep up with my free email newsletters. Try them here.

When was the last time you went a day without picking up your iPhone or Android smartphone? What about your Apple or Microsoft computer? Shopping on Amazon or scrolling through posts on Facebook?

The survey found that 76 percent of respondents use Google on a daily basis, followed by Microsoft (60 percent), Apple (49 percent) and Facebook (45 percent). Shop 40% off Amazon or use Amazon-owned products like Echo daily; There are 89% active shoppers on Amazon.com.

Only 1.34%, or 85, of those surveyed say they don’t interact with at least one of these companies every day.

Who is watching and listening?
If you have a smart speaker at home, I’m sure you’ve wondered, “Is it listening to me all the time?” This is one of the reasons I unplugged my Amazon Echo and stuck it in the garage.

I asked those people if they think smart speakers hear what you say instead of just using the words “wake up.” A whopping 82.73% said “all the time.”

Amazon, Apple and Google will tell you that their AI assistants only listen for wake-up words like “Alexa,” “Siri” and “Hey, Google.” One issue, however, is how often smart speakers turn on accidentally.

A 2020 study from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany revealed that a combined 1,000 phrases such as Alexa (“choice,” “a letter”), Google Home (“okay, cool,” “okay, you know”), Can trigger Siri (“Hey Jerry”). ,” “Hey, seriously”) and Microsoft’s Cortana (“Montana,” “Frittata”).

Worried your smart assistant hears too much? Tap or click to stop all your smart devices from listening to you and recording what you say. A good rule of thumb is to keep smart speakers out of bedrooms and bathrooms.

Nearly 60% of poll respondents fear that their smartphones are spying on them and say they have experienced the phenomenon when they were chatting about something and then saw an ad for that exact product online .

Before you think that your phone’s microphone is recording you, there may be other reasons for a coincidence. Maybe you’ve discovered something similar before, or someone in your home has done it. After all, your home IP address is used to target you with ads.

What about Google alternatives?
Here’s one of the most conclusive answers from my survey: 92% of respondents believe Google knows too much information about their personal lives.

Think about it. Many of us use Google for our email, video meetings, document storage, web browser and more. Tap or click here to see everything Google knows about you with a quick search.

You have great options for what you want out of Google-region. All your non-Google options on your site from search sites that don’t track me, mail, browser, maps and video sites are listed here.

Send all interview requests about the survey to: press@komando.com.

To see the rest of the survey’s findings, check out the full results on my website.

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