Few companies know as much about everyday life as Google and Meta. One handles most of the world’s searches, maps, video, mobile software and email. The other runs the largest social network and messaging platforms. Together they sit at the center of online advertising, and the engine behind that advertising is data about people. Understanding what they collect is not about panic. It is about knowing which controls actually change the picture, and which ones make you feel safer without doing much. This guide explains the categories of data, how they are used, what you can control and what remains outside your control. For account-level details, see our companion guides on what Google knows about you and what happens to your data on Facebook.
1. Why these companies collect so much
The business model is advertising. The more accurately a platform can describe a person’s interests, habits and likely purchases, the more valuable it is to advertisers. Data also improves products: search ranking, recommendations, spam filtering, translation and voice assistants all rely on large quantities of user activity. This is why a free service is not really free; you pay with attention and information.
That is a general description, not a claim about any one practice. Each company publishes privacy policies and controls, and they change often. Treat this guide as a map and check the current settings in your own account.
2. What Google can collect
Depending on which services you use and which settings you enable, Google may hold:
- Search and browsing. Queries, clicks and, if you are signed in to Chrome with sync, browsing history.
- Location. Map searches, saved places, timeline-style location records if enabled, and approximate location from your network.
- Video and media. Watch and search history on its video service.
- Communications metadata. Email and calendar information needed to provide the service.
- Device and app data. Phone model, app usage and identifiers on Android.
- Voice and audio. Voice commands if audio activity is enabled.
- Ad data. Interests inferred from activity and ads you interact with.
Google provides a dashboard where you can review and delete much of this and set auto-delete for activity. Our step-by-step guide on finding out what Google knows and deleting it covers it.
3. What Meta can collect
Meta’s apps may collect:
- Profile and content. Posts, photos, videos, comments, groups and events.
- Social graph. Friends, followers, contacts you upload and people you interact with.
- Messaging metadata. Who you contact and when; message content is treated differently depending on encryption settings.
- Location. From check-ins, photos and device permissions.
- Device and network data. Identifiers, battery, signal strength and installed apps in some cases.
- Off-platform activity. Information that websites and apps send through embedded tools, which can link your browsing to your profile.
- Ad interactions. Ads viewed, clicked or hidden.
Meta offers an Accounts Center with privacy checkups and a tool to download or transfer your information. Our guides on Facebook tracking and Facebook’s privacy settings explain the options.
Curious what’s already out there? Wiperts’ 100% Free Diagnosis shows which data brokers are listing your name, home address and phone number. Check your exposure free — it takes about a minute.
4. Off-platform tracking
A large part of the concern is not what you type into these services, but what other sites tell them. Many sites embed code from ad platforms that reports page visits, purchases and sometimes form entries. When you are signed in, or when you can be matched through other identifiers, that activity can enrich your profile. Blocking trackers at the browser level, using privacy-focused settings and clearing cookies reduces this flow. See how to stop websites from tracking your clicks.
5. What you can control
| Category | What you can do | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Search and watch history | Pause or auto-delete | Less activity stored on your account |
| Location | Turn off history and permissions | Fewer location records |
| Ad personalization | Switch it off | Fewer interest-based ads, not zero data |
| Apps and permissions | Revoke unneeded access | Less data from your phone |
| Third-party app connections | Remove old connections | Fewer places receiving profile data |
| Public profile | Hide or limit | Less content for scrapers |
| Account deletion | Delete after downloading data | Removes account-linked data after a delay |
6. Step-by-step: reduce collection
Run each company’s privacy checkup
Both companies offer guided reviews. Work through them once, then set a calendar reminder for every six months, since defaults and features change.
Set auto-delete and pause history
Limit how long search, location and video history are kept. Shorter retention means less data to leak or be used later.
Turn off ad personalization
This limits interest-based targeting using your activity. It does not stop all data collection, but it reduces how directly your data is used for ads.
Tighten app and device permissions
On your phone, disable location, microphone, contacts and photo access for apps that do not need them. Our guide on privacy settings on iPhone and Android shows where.
Remove old third-party connections
Review which apps and sites you have signed in to with these accounts and remove those you no longer use.
Use tracker protection
Use a browser with tracking prevention, limit cookies and consider extensions that block known trackers.
7. What settings cannot fix
Account controls manage what these companies hold. They do not control the separate market of data brokers, which build profiles from public records, purchases and sign-ups. A person with every privacy setting locked down can still have an address, phone number, age and relatives listed on a people-search site. That is a different problem with a different solution: opting out of each broker. See data brokers are selling your personal information.
Likewise, content that other people post about you, such as tagged photos or comments, is outside your account’s reach. Ask friends to remove tags, and use review features for tagging where offered.
8. Regulators and your rights
In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission enforces consumer protection laws against unfair or deceptive data practices, and its consumer guidance is at consumer.ftc.gov. State laws, such as those administered by the California Privacy Protection Agency, give residents rights to know, delete and opt out of certain data sales and sharing. Use them: the request is usually available from the company’s privacy page.
9. Timeline: a data-reduction plan
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| Today | Open both privacy checkups, pause or limit history |
| This week | Turn off ad personalization, review app permissions |
| This month | Remove old third-party connections, set up tracker blocking |
| Every six months | Repeat the checkups |
| Every quarter | Search yourself and re-check broker listings |
10. Keeping the benefits while cutting the exposure
The point of these controls is not to give up useful services. Search, maps, photo storage, family sharing and group messaging are genuinely valuable. A sensible approach is to decide which features you actually use and disable the rest. If you never use location history, turn it off. If you only use a social network to follow a few groups, remove old photos, hide your friends list and limit the audience for new posts. Ask what each feature gives you in return for the data it needs, and keep the ones that pass.
Consider splitting identities. Use one email address for banking and important accounts, another for shopping and a third for social media. An alias or forwarding address, as described in how to set up an alias email address, makes it harder for platforms and trackers to connect all your activity into a single profile.
11. Three scenarios and what to do
Scenario 1: You rely on these services daily. Keep them, but reduce retention, limit permissions and separate roles: use one account for work, another for personal use.
Scenario 2: You want out of one platform. Download your data first, then delete the account and remove apps that use its login.
Scenario 3: You are worried about safety. Lock down location history, remove public contact information and remove your address from people-search sites. See defending against online stalking.
12. Myths and facts
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| They just sell my data | They mainly use it to sell ad targeting, but partners and trackers extend the reach |
| Incognito mode hides me from them | It limits local history, not all tracking |
| Turning off ads stops collection | It reduces targeting; collection for other purposes continues |
| Deleting the app deletes my data | The account still holds it |
| Settings protect me from data brokers | Brokers use separate sources |
13. Common mistakes
- Running one checkup and never revisiting it.
- Leaving old third-party connections active.
- Assuming that a VPN makes signed-in activity anonymous.
- Ignoring what friends post about you.
- Forgetting data broker listings.
14. Questions to ask yourself
Which services do I really use? Do I need location on all the time? Who else could see my account on a shared device? What would I be comfortable with a stranger knowing about my search history? The answers decide which settings matter most to you.
15. How Wiperts fits
Limiting what platforms collect is half of privacy. The other half is the public profile that brokers publish. Wiperts scans more than 100 data brokers and people-search sites, submits the removal requests, requests removal of personal search results and monitors for returning listings. Start with a free diagnosis to see your exposure.
100% Free Diagnosis: Check Your Exposure
Find out what data brokers have on you. Enter your details in the free scanner on the Wiperts homepage:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Select State
- Email Address
- Website
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16. Key takeaways
- Google and Meta collect large amounts of search, location, device and social data, mainly for advertising.
- Privacy checkups, auto-delete, ad settings and permission reviews reduce what they hold.
- Account controls do not affect data brokers, which need separate opt-outs.
- Review settings regularly, because defaults change.
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| Plan | Covers | One-time deep scrub | Then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | 1 person | $89 | $14/month |
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Every plan includes removal of your name, date of birth, salary, home address and phone number from 100+ data brokers and people-search sites, Google and Bing search-result removal, home blurring on maps, and 24/7 monitoring that re-removes your data if it reappears. See plans and start your removal
17. Frequently Asked Questions
What data does Google collect about me?
Searches, videos watched, location history if enabled, browsing in Chrome when signed in, email and calendar metadata, app and device information, voice and audio activity if enabled, and ad interactions.
What data does Facebook collect about me?
Posts, photos, messages metadata, friends and groups, location, device information, off-platform activity from sites and apps that use its tools, and ad interactions.
Can I stop Google and Facebook from collecting data?
Not entirely if you use their services, but you can reduce it with activity controls, auto-delete, ad personalization settings, limited permissions and tracker blocking.
Do these companies sell my data?
They primarily use data to sell advertising rather than selling raw personal data, but advertisers, partners and third-party trackers still gain from the ecosystem.
Will deleting my account remove everything?
It removes much of what is tied to the account after a retention period, but copies in backups, in other people’s content and at data brokers may remain.
Does a VPN stop data collection?
It hides your IP address from sites but does not stop a company from collecting data tied to your signed-in account.
Sources
Related Reading
- What Does Google Know About Me? How to See It and Limit It
- Find Out What Google Knows About You and Delete It
- What Happens to Your Data on Facebook? From Collection to Deletion
- How Facebook Tracks You and How to Limit It (2026)
- How Facebook Tracks You Across the Web and How to Limit It
- How to Use Facebook Privacy Settings to Protect Your Information
- What Is Shared on Facebook, and With Whom? A Sharing Map
- How to Stop Websites From Tracking Your Clicks
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