Google's business is tracking me despite me not wanting to be tracked. It doesn't matter what they do with that data, I don't want them to have it.

There are differences, but they aren't worth worrying about. You are still vulnerable to being abused by Google's data about you as well as Facebook's data.

Yes, what’s annoying is that if you are using Gmail, you are automatically logged in on all other Google services, including Maps, YouTube etc. When I’m searching a doctor’s address or watching a stupid video on YouTube (most of the time embedded in some other webpage), I don’t always want it to be added to my history. https://myactivity.google.com

Now I’m using Firefox Multi-Account Containers to separate Gmail from the rest. And I am considering switching entirely to ProtonMail.

FYI this isn’t true in all contexts. For example if I log into Gmail for iOS that does not log me into the Maps app on iOS.

Well I disagree with the second part of your argument. You are MUCH more likely to be abused by Facebook’s “partners”. If you are not logged on to Google they don’t construct a personally-identifying profile of you. They may have some log somewhere that says “this IP address read 15 reviews of light truck tires” but they don’t have the capability to just sell in a printed and bound format the personal data of CaptSpify. Whereas if Facebook had that data I could just phone them up and buy it, no questions or restrictions. I think that difference is large enough to note.

> If you are not logged on to Google they don’t construct a personally-identifying profile of you.

Have they guaranteed this in writing somewhere, or is this just something that you're saying? It's harder to put together a profile that's not personally identifying than one that is; what if I ever used google maps to find directions from my house?

What about using Google's DNS servers?

What about it?

https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/privacy

People are tiring of tech firms saying "trust us." They've spent all of their goodwill.

The average person doesn't read or believe a website's stated privacy policy any more than they read or believe a tech product's EULA.

I think this says more about you than about Google. By stating what they retain they've set themselves up for legal action by their users, if they deviant from those statements. If that's not good enough for you nothing would be.

Yeah, just like FB would never abuse the trust people put into them, or Microsoft has way too much incentive to lie to their users, so they would never do that either. /sarcasm

I could list a thousand companies who say one thing, and do another. I find it extremely naive to believe them at face value.