One privacy change for 2026

One privacy change for 2026

From Lock and Code by Malwarebytes

January 25, 2026 · 18 min · Season 7 · Episode 2

About this episode

David Ruiz discusses his decision to give up Google Search to improve his data privacy.

When you hear the words “data privacy,” what do you first imagine? Maybe you picture going into your social media apps and setting your profile and posts to private. Maybe you think about who you’ve shared your location with and deciding to revoke some of that access. Maybe you want to remove a few apps entirely from your smartphone, maybe you want to try a new web browser, maybe you even want to skirt the type of street-level surveillance provided by  Automated License Plate Readers , which can record your car model, license plate number, and location on your morning drive to work. Importantly, all of these are “data privacy,” but trying to do all of these things at once can feel impossible. That’s why, this year, for Data Privacy Day, Malwarebytes Senior Privacy Advocate (and Lock and Code host) David Ruiz is sharing the one thing he’s doing different to improve his privacy. And it’s this: He’s given up Google Search entirely. When Ruiz  requested the data that Google had collected about him last year , he saw that the company had recorded an eye-popping 8,000 searches in just the span of 18 months. And those 8,000 searches didn’t just reveal what he was thinking…

People in this episode

Host: David Ruiz

Topics covered

  • data privacy
  • Google Search
  • personal data
  • online ads
  • surveillance
  • privacy advocacy

Keywords

  • data privacy
  • Google Search
  • personal data
  • online ads
  • privacy advocate

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Google, Malwarebytes

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