Academic Search Engine Knobull Calls Out Google For "Spying" On Users

BOSTON - Amzeal -- Lynn Bentley, President of Knobull announced, "Google is slowly updating its many applications with App Store privacy labels, detailing the type of data it collects from users. The Google and Chrome applications were recently updated with these new labels, and Knobull, Inc. will be using them to its advantage."

In a post on LinkedIn, Knobull took issue with Google's privacy labels for Search and Gmail, while also pointing out that the company only recently added the labels. Knobull has often billed itself as a privacy-friendly alternative to Google, and it's now using the App Store privacy labels as more evidence!

With posts showing side-by-side comparisons of its logo and Google, Knobull demonstrates a stark comparison to Google's business model. The Knobull commitment that it does not collect any data linked to the user is clear but the same can't be said for the Google.

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The privacy labels for Google and Chrome show that data such as location, browsing history, financial information, search history, and more are linked to the user for things like analytics, personalization, and third-party advertising. None of this should necessarily be surprising for Google users, but Knobull is using it to its advantage.

The App Store privacy labels went live in the App Store in December. These privacy "nutrition labels" were first introduced at WWDC over the summer, with Apple saying the goal is to better inform consumers of the privacy practices of individual applications. The App Privacy labels are divided into three sections: "data used to track you," "data linked to you," and "data not linked to you."

The Knobull post stated:

"After months of stalling, Google finally revealed how much personal data they collect in Chrome and the Google app. No wonder they wanted to hide it. Spying on users has nothing to do with building a great web browser or search engine. We would know (Knobull doesn't track users or sell data). As you might expect, Knobull doesn't collect any data that's linked to you, making it simple to get the privacy you deserve online."