Update 12/08/22 - G Suite is now called Google Workspace. However, all of the information below is still current and relevant.

There are many Google myths out there, which is understandable as Google is a huge organisation. Not only that, they’re owned by another huge organisation - their parent company, Alphabet Inc.

Because of this, and the nature of their business, many people assume the worst and liken Google to “Big Brother” - always keeping tabs on their online activities.

However, if you do a little bit of digging, just below the surface layer of rumours and hear-say found on Twitter, Reddit and any other user-generated-content sites, you’ll find that the facts paint a quite a different picture.

Read on below as we cover the top 5 Google myths that we encounter when speaking with clients and potential customers. Let us know if we’ve missed any in the comments!

Myth 1: Google scans business emails

Fact - There is no scanning of messages for advertisements.

Google outlines this fact in its terms of service which states that businesses using Workspace own their own data, not Google. Automated background systems do scan and index your data to provide you with services such as search, filters, priority inbox, and even spell check. You can find out more about Google's data usage here. However, scanning is a lot more common than you may think and is found in a lot of online services. It’s important to remember that this scanning is not carried out by real humans, it’s all done through artificial intelligence. Google does not mine data to display advertising as their contract states and they also have a strong record of protecting customer data, by encrypting it at every level.

Myth 2: Google will sell my information

Fact - In Google Workspace your data always belongs to you.

Unless you use Google’s tools to do so yourself, Google does not share your data with any other people or organisations. In fact, Google doesn't sell, trade or rent any personally identifiable user information. You can find out more about this via their Privacy Policy.

Myth 3: Google knows too much about me

Fact - There's nothing personally identifiable about any of the data that Google saves.

Your history of search queries aren't actually tied to your personal identity, only to your computer's IP address. Your IP address only provides Google with a rough geographic location, not your name. No Google employee is allowed to make connections between IP addresses and individuals. In fact, Google has a history of denying requests from the U.S. government to hand over search histories for investigations. They also provide Transparency Reports to shed light on how the policies and actions of governments and corporations affect privacy, security, and access to information.

Myth 4: Google is just a search company

Fact - Google has a diverse range of products that span across the technology sector.

Google’s Mission Statement is “to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Google’s history of Search gives them an excellent grounding in the productivity market, as making information more accessible and structured is proven to increase efficiency by huge amounts. Google’s ventures into hardware, self-driving cars and balloons that deliver Internet connectivity from the stratosphere show that it’s not just a search company - It’s got a strong foundation in artificial intelligence and machine learning, which is woven into many of its tools and products, like Google Workspace, to help make life easier for users every single day.

Myth 5: Google is inexperienced in the Enterprise

Fact - Google has led the way in Enterprise cloud solutions with Google Workspace.

Although Microsoft began providing enterprise tools through their Office suite in 1990, Google began innovating in the cloud for enterprises with "Google Apps" in 2006, with Microsoft not following suit until 2011. This means that Google has been developing cloud-first solutions for enterprises for over 12 years, helping businesses improve their collaboration, productivity, agility and security levels through Workspace and Google Cloud solutions. You can see how far the business solutions have come in the Google Workspace development timeline.

Contact

If you can think of any other Google myths that we may have missed, let us know in the comments! But if you would like to learn more about using Google’s tools for work and what Workspace can offer your organisation, please don’t hesitate to drop your email below and we'll get back to you asap!