Have you heard these conspiracy theories about search,Google and Big Tech?

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Theory #1:
Advertisers and your phone are recording and listening to you all the time.
What’s true: Your phone can record you when you use voice search and certain applications.
Theory #2:
Advertisers, governments and hackers are secretly controlling your devices.
What’s true: Your tech device is susceptible to manipulation.
Theory #3:
Google prioritizes its own brand over other sites.
What’s true: The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Google for anticompetitive behavior.
Theory #4:
Google’s search algorithm is racist and sexist.
What’s true: Biases exist, and there are existing efforts to improve search results.
Theory #5:
The government is working with Big Tech to spy on you.
What’s true: Big tech works with the government and on several projects, including surveillance, defense and cloud computing.
Theory #6:
Google’s search algorithm is anti-conservative.
What’s true: Google censors fake news or misinformation.
Theory #7:
Big Tech is interfering with elections and politics.
What’s true: Tech companies such as Google and Facebook allow political ads on their platforms.
Theory #8:
Google’s Incognito is not really incognito.
What’s true: Google is facing a lawsuit for collecting user data in incognito mode.
Theory #9:
Tech companies use planned obsolescence to make you buy more.
What’s True: Apple paid $113 million to settle claims of intentionally slowing down iPhones.
Theory #10:
Big Tech search algorithms are pushing people toward extremism.
What’s true: Content platforms are starting to regulate and “de-platform” extremist content.
Theory #11:
Google manipulates ad auctions with price-fixing.
What’s true: Google faces a lawsuit for misleading advertisers about its ad auction processes.