Nowadays, when you are using the internet, sometimes it feels like you can't escape the presence of large tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon.
According to the 9to5Mac report, Google is tracking the manner you use its search engine along with other apps for it to provide better experience.
Now, with the aim of providing a better understanding of the kind of data your computer sent to Google, as well as where and when it happens, developer Bert Hubert created an app that beeps every time your computer sends any data to Google.
Googerteller Beeps Each Time You Send Data to Google
The app is known as Googerteller, and according to 9to5Mac, it can be a really noisy app.
If Hubert's name sounds familiar to you, it may be due to the fact that he is the creator of PowerDNS. It is a widely used open-source DNS server program, according to Android Authority. Moreover, Hubert is also a privacy advocate.
The Googerteller app functions by using the list of IP addresses, which is freely provided by Google. There IP addresses are connected with many Google services. But according to 9to5Mac, these exclude those that are related to Google Cloud.
You'll hear a beep sound every time your computer connects to one of those IP addresses. This works when you are using a program or when you are browsing the web.
Based on Hubert's initial demo video, a beep is heard after every keystroke into Chrome's address bar. This is because the browser sends requests for autocomplete suggestions.
For instance, in the demo, while browsing the Dutch government's careers website, a beep is heard almost every time the page is clicked.
According to 9to5Mac, its possibly that beeps are due to "what the site's owners have decided to track" via Google Analytics.
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Googerteller Tells How Often You Are Being Tracked Online
Based on Hubert's demonstration, Googerteller doesn't only beep when you are using Google Chrome, as the app is equally as beepy in Firefox.
It can be argued that some of these connections to Google is due to Chrome's tight integration with Google services. However, as Hubert showed in the demonstration, there's similar results while using Firefox.
Currently, Googerteller is available only on Linux-based operating systems (Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, Fedora, etc). But 9to5Mac noted that those who are willing to experiment can install it for free. There are even users who have tried running it on a Mac.
Googerteller is meant to make people aware how frequent Google get data link to your everyday browsing routines.
According to Mashable, it is highly doubtful that people will swarm to install it on their systems as it can be annoyingly noisy.
It can be quite easy to forget just how frequent you're being tracked online, and the app will tell you how often your data is being sent to Google, which can be quite scary.
But it doesn't have to work this way all the time. Using Google privacy settings, you can reduce the amount of tracking Google does on you.
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