(and Amazon)
Amazon and Google collect personal data on you to build a profile to sell ads or suggest new products to buy. Apple doesn’t collect individualized data, anonymizes data collected for AI and improvements, and doesn’t sell ads. Amazon and Google’s AI assistants are always “listening” while Apple’s AI assistant uses on-device processing for many requests to improve privacy.
And yet, somehow, people voted Amazon and Google as being more trustworthy than Apple.
It has to do with tech illiteracy.
People don’t connect Amazon, the retailer, with Amazon, the advertiser. Nor do they connect Google the search engine with Android, the personal tracking software disguised as a phone operating system, or YouTube, a brand consumers said they trust less than Google. But the brand identity between Apple and the iPhone is strong, and people know their technology, like their phone, is tracking them.
We’re not doing a good enough job at educating people on their privacy and safety online. But it’s more than that. Consumers have a general distrust of big tech without knowing how widespread the problem really is.
Apple Lost to Data Collectors?
A poll conducted by the Washington Post and Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University found internet users largely distrust big tech companies. Facebook was the most distrusted company, with 72% saying they don’t trust Facebook with their data. 56% also said Facebook has a negative impact on society, with only 10% viewing Facebook in a positive light. Interestingly, a surprising 53% trust Amazon, despite the fact that Amazon also collects user data for targeted ads.
Only 44% say they trust Apple, with 40% saying they don’t trust Apple much or at all. Apple, a company that does not collect individual data or sell targeted ads, did worse than two companies that do sell usage of this data through personalized ads. Of course, they had a rather large invasion of privacy planned for 2022, but may have scrapped it.
Part of this comes down to not understanding what these companies are doing. Amazon collects loads of information, yet seems to be just an innocent retailer. It’s not. And, in fact, even the AI it develops can be dangerous. It’s exceptionally clear that users don’t understand how monopolistic big tech has become when you look at the break downs. Meta, formerly Facebook, owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Yet more users said they distrust Facebook than Instagram and WhatsApp. You can see the same with Google and YouTube. Google owns YouTube, it uses it for data collection and ads, like all of their services. Yet users trust YouTube less than Google. This shows consumers don’t realize how companies like Google operate such a large chunk of the web and have multiple monopolies. Amazon and Facebook are no different. Amazon’s AWS runs much of the web, and has been accused of monopolistic practices like pricing out competition and copying third party designs. Facebook (now Meta), owns WhatsApp, Instagram, Oculus, and tends to buy up or copy competing services like SnapChat or TikTok.
Government Needs to Get Involved
One thing the survey respondents agreed on, both Democrats and Republicans, is that the government needs to get involved in regulation on big tech. 53% of Republicans and 82% of Democrats say the government needs to handle privacy issues better. Republicans and Democrats likely have different reasons for reigning in Big Tech, but they all come down to the same core reason: these tech companies have become too powerful.
From a free market standpoint, neither party should like the fact that big tech has gotten to the point where it’s impossible to compete with companies like Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Google. Users can’t vote with their wallets anymore because they’re stuck in the policies and data tracking of these companies anywhere they go.
Despite not having a clear picture on the players involved, 79% say companies don’t give users enough control of their data. In Europe, the EU forces companies to give users more privacy controls, including cookie storage. No such laws exist in the United States. With both parties finally agreeing on something, the only thing standing in the way are politicians.
Shamefully, many politicians likely own shares in these companies or benefit from the monopolies they have become in other ways. Therefore, little progress can be made. Still, some politicians have spoken out. Consumers need to make this a bigger issue if they want to see real change. Right now, these large tech companies don’t only control their privacy, what they can find online, and how they connect to loved ones, but also have a grip on the government.
Sources:
- Sami Fathi, MacRumors
- Heather Kelly and Emily Guskin, The Washington Post
- Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac
- Phillip Tracy, Gizmodo