Proton CEO explains DANGERS of giving Google your IDENTITY

Summary

The speaker argues that email is the most important element to protect in terms of online privacy because it serves as a person's core digital identity, connecting all their online activity into one profile. He explains how having a Gmail links all your information into a Google profile associated with your real identity, allowing them to track your activity across the internet. The speaker advocates using an alternative like ProtonMail to avoid having your identity and data tied to Google's system, giving up convenience for increased privacy and control over your information.

Takeaways

• 😀 Email is like a digital passport that links your online identity
• 😮 Losing your email can be more inconvenient than losing your physical passport
• 😡 Google controls most people's online identities via their email accounts
• 😠 This allows Google to connect online activity to real identities for profiling
• 🚫 Using an alternative to Gmail helps prevent Google from building a profile on you
• 😥 Google tracks nearly everything - searches, YouTube watches, calendar events, etc
• 😌 Logging out of Google services limits data collection but loses functionality
• 🤔 Convenience leads people to embrace ecosystems like Google despite privacy issues
• 😎 Watching YouTube without logging in prevents Google from connecting sessions to your identity
• 😇 Alternative identity providers like ProtonMail allow escaping Google's system while retaining email

Q & A

Why is protecting identity more important than communications or data privacy?

Your identity links together your entire online existence, like a digital passport. It's what Google uses to connect all your activity across their properties to build an advertising profile. So protecting your identity prevents this kind of tracking and profiling.

How does having a Google account allow them to collect more information about you?

By signing into Google services with your Gmail account, you allow Google to connect data across their properties and third-party sites using Google Analytics and ads. This links the activity back to your real identity in their database.

What is Proton's main mission?

Proton's mission is not just secure communications, but to provide an alternative identity online that you fully control. The goal is to avoid having your identity exploited for profit by companies like Google.

What does opting out of a Google account do?

Opting out means you don't have a Google account associated with your online activity. So Google cannot connect your browsing, searches, video watches etc. back to a real-life identity in their databases. You essentially don't exist in their system.

How can you still access some Google services like YouTube without being tracked?

You can simply access services like YouTube while logged out of your Google account. This prevents Google associating what you watch back to your real identity, although activity would still be tracked anonymously.

What alternative does ProtonMail provide related to identity?

ProtonMail gives you an email account not tied to Google, so you can opt out of using a Gmail address. This prevents Google from connecting your email-linked online activity back to a personal profile they own.

What types of Google tracking does having a Google account enable?

Having a Google account allows tracking of your searches on Google, videos watched on YouTube, events booked on Calendar, activity on Google Maps, etc. All connects back to build one advertising profile.

Why is losing access to your Gmail more inconvenient than losing your passport?

Your Gmail addresses links together your entire online presence and identity across services. Without access you could lose contact information, photos, documents, purchases, travel details, etc. making it very disruptive.

What specific Google properties does a Google account link together?

Signing into any Google property like Gmail, YouTube, Search, Maps, Calendar etc. with your Google account links all that activity to the same identity and profile Google builds about you.

How much of global website activity does Google potentially see?

Over 70% of websites globally use Google Analytics. And Google ads are present on most sites. So Google potentially sees analytics or ad tracking data on the large majority of internet activity.