Googerteller: An App Makes Noise Every Time We Send Data to Google

Big Data doesn't feed itself, we know that well. Algorithms seek to know our tastes and habits to generate a user profile, offer relevant products and make money change hands, but it's almost impossible to visualize the information transferred, especially when we talk about the mothership in Mountain View. However, software developer Bert Hubert shared something very interesting on his Twitter profile: An application for the computer to make noise every time we send data to Google.

Most of Google's services are free and stable. Their advertising platform allows the existence of NeoTeo and many other colleague sites. And of course, all that depends on data collection... but how much data are we talking about? How often is it sent?

Unfortunately, the end user doesn't know. Beyond some advanced parameters in the privacy and security section, the truth is that there is a lack of feedback. A software developer named Bert Hubert decided to fill that void in a very particular way: Creating an app that makes noise every time we send data to Google. And boy does it.

Googerteller: Acoustic alarm for sending data to Google

As it is a proof of concept, those interested will have to run Googerteller from a Linux environment, and take care of the compilation. In general terms, its operation is simple: Googerteller is based on a list of IP addresses that Mountain View uses for its services (excluding everything that is Google Cloud). Every time there is a connection with those addresses, the app sends an alert. And depending on the site or web service we are exploring... Googerteller never shuts up.

Our tests confirm that Googerteller works well, doesn't cause interference, and fulfills its objective. This acoustic alarm not only serves as a reminder of our relationship with Google, but also confirms the 'blindness' of the end user during their daily browsing sessions. Some users have already asked Bert to develop an equivalent for Facebook, but it's most likely that Googerteller will be converted into an extension first.

Official site: Click here