Are you curious to know how much information your computer shares with Google? Well, according to this new app, it’s a lot more than you probably thought. Bert Hubert, PowerDNS developer and privacy advocate, has created this new tool that make a sound when your PC sends data to Google. As you can imagine, it is quite noisy.
Baptized as Googerteller, it is now available on GitHub thanks to Hubert himself. Also, on his Twitter account, the developer allows us to take a look at how the app works. The premise is simple and straightforward: every time your computer sends data to Google, when using the browser or another app, the program will make a sound.
To prove it, Bert Hubert went to the Dutch government websites. Once inside, he tried to enter various links and also to touch various buttons. The result was that, with each of his clicks, the computer made a short sound that allowed him to know to what extent everything that happens on his screen was being sent to those in Mountain View.
Also, one of the most intense moments for the application was when Hubert was typing in the Google Chrome search bar. With each press, the computer made a new sound. Something that is to be expected due to the loading of Google results in real time.
This is how Googerteller tracks the sending of data to Google
The activity that Google is able to track extends beyond its services. Platforms like Google Analytics and Google Ads are on almost any page or application. This is why, no matter what you are doing on the internet, your computer is likely sending your information to their servers. In fact, to minimize this, services like DuckDuckGo are recommended.
To work, Hubert has used a list of IP addresses provided by Google itself. In this way, Googerteller can know which connections he has to keep an eye on. Mind you, the developer avoided including any of the Google Cloud features.
The result was quite impressive, in fact. As expected, using Google Chrome the sound of the application was basically a constant on Hubert’s computer. However, there was something that surprised him a lot, and that is that Google’s presence was quite strong even outside of his applications. Using browsers like Firefox, Hubert got virtually identical results..
Beyond the results, the aforementioned has created Googerteller with an intention in mind. As he explains, he wants users to be aware of the data their devices share with Google. In this way, you can have more notion of what is happening, and the power to decide how you want your information to be shared online.
Why does the application sound on almost any website on the internet?
While Hubert was on the Dutch government website, almost every option sounded like Googerteller. Every dropdown menu and every link seemed to send data directly to Google. But why does this happen?
This is likely due to Google Analytics services. After all, many website owners allow this service to receive the information processed by them. A) Yes, they can obtain data such as the territory of the visitors, their devices, the most visited pages and more relevant data.
How to have Googerteller on your computer
If you have read what Googerteller can do, you probably want to know how to download it to your computer. Unfortunately, this app is not available for Windows or macOS, only on Linux-based operating systems.
In case you have this last system on your computer, you only have to go to the link of GitHub Y download the relevant files. Then just follow the instructions on the web and you should have everything up and running in a few minutes.
Nevertheless, some have clever to run it on Mac devicesand have even developed their own versions for various platforms.