Location to financial and personal data: 7 things tech companies know about you

Tech companies have made life easy in innumerable ways but users have been made to pay a heavy price. User data has been monopolised in every single way, so much so that Cambridge Analytica allegedly disrupted an election using Facebook data. Let's take a look at the list of data sacrifices that users have made, according to The Visual Capitalist. (Image: Reuters)

Personal information | It is easy for the companies to get your personal data as users enter it to create an account on the platform. This data includes name, the date of birth, email address, etc. (Image: Reuters)

Location | Smartphones have made it easier for companies to track your live locations. Use of applications like Google Maps for directions can also give away your location data. (Image: Reuters)

Financial data | Companies have access to our financial data as we carry out transactions through these portals. Some companies try to monopolise this data. In 2015, Facebook had filed a patent to let insurance companies vet people based on the credit ratings of their social network. (Image: Reuters)

Devices used | As soon as you login to your Gmail or your Twitter account from a new device, you are notified about it. This indicates that companies have data about the devices that you have used their service from.

Browsing history | Cleared your browser history? The searches might have disappeared from your device but the company still has that data. Companies try to understand your 'browsing pattern' to 'serve you better'. (Image: Reuters)

Facial recognition data | Facebook and Microsoft collect your facial recognition data by scanning the pictures you upload. (Image: Reuters)

Voice data | With smart speaker sales booming, the voice data collected has also increased. However, there is no indication that companies record and store your voice data. (Image: Reuters)