"Free" Doesn't Mean "No Cost": What YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Reddit Really Know About You
You're Being Watched
Last week, I opened TikTok to watch one video. Just one.
Fifty-seven minutes later, I looked up and realized I'd lost an hour of my life to dance videos, cooking hacks, and content I didn't even consciously choose to watch.
Sound familiar?
But here's what really bothered me: I never decided to watch most of those videos. The algorithm just... knew. It knew what would keep me scrolling. It knew when my attention was drifting and served me something more engaging. It knew me better than I knew myself in that moment.
And that's when it hit me: this isn't entertainment. It's surveillance disguised as entertainment.
YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Reddit aren't just "free" apps you use for fun. They're sophisticated data collection systems that happen to show you videos, photos, and posts while they analyze everything about you.
The real question isn't "what do they know?"
It's "what are they doing with what they know?"
Let me show you.
The Business Model Nobody Talks About
Before we dive into each platform, you need to understand one thing:
These companies don't make money by showing you content. They make money by predicting your behavior.
Think about that for a second.
Their entire business model depends on knowing:
- What will make you click
- What will make you watch longer
- What will make you buy
- What will make you come back tomorrow
The better they predict, the more advertisers pay.
This creates a fundamental problem: their goal is to maximize your engagement, not your wellbeing.
Every feature, every algorithm update, every notification—all designed to learn more about you and keep you scrolling longer.
Now let's see how each platform does this.
YouTube: The Surveillance Machine Disguised as a Video Player
YouTube isn't just owned by Google. It is Google's surveillance system with a video player attached.
What They Actually Track (Way More Than You Think)
The obvious stuff:
- Every video you watch (duh)
- How long you watched
- Whether you finished it
The less obvious stuff:
- Videos you hovered over but didn't click
- Thumbnails you looked at longest
- Search queries you typed but abandoned
- How your viewing changes by time of day
- What you watch differently on mobile vs desktop
- How quickly you skip ads (yes, really)
The creepy stuff:
- Your battery level while watching (seriously)
- Whether you paused to take notes
- If you rewound to see something again
- Your facial expressions (if you use certain features)
But here's where it gets worse...
The Google Connection: Your Entire Digital Life
If you're logged into Google while using YouTube (and most people are), they're connecting:
- Your search history (every question you've ever asked Google)
- Your Gmail (scanning for keywords, names, purchases)
- Your Maps history (everywhere you've been)
- Your Chrome history (every website you've visited)
- Your Android usage (if you use Android)
- Your Photos (facial recognition, location, dates)
- Your Calendar (your schedule and plans)
- Your Drive (documents, files, work)
They're building a complete profile of your entire life.
What They Do With All This
The algorithm doesn't show you what you want.
It shows you what will keep you watching longest.
Studies have found this leads to increasingly extreme content recommendations because outrage and controversy drive engagement.
You start watching one political video. An hour later, you're deep into conspiracy theories. Not because you chose that path—because the algorithm learned that outrageous content keeps you clicking.
A concrete example:
You search "how to lose weight" on Google at 2am.
YouTube now knows:
- You're concerned about weight (search)
- You're losing sleep over it (time of search)
- You're probably insecure (late-night health searches correlate with anxiety)
Three days later, you start seeing ads for:
- Weight loss supplements
- Gym memberships
- Therapy apps
- Dating services (they inferred you might be single based on your viewing patterns)
You never told them any of this. They just... knew.
The Scale of It
Google made $224 billion in advertising revenue in 2022.
That money came from their ability to predict and influence your behavior.
You're not the customer. You're the product being sold. (For a detailed look at how Meta does this across WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, see our Meta surveillance empire investigation.)
TikTok: The Attention Harvester
If YouTube is surveillance disguised as entertainment, TikTok is addiction engineered at the molecular level.
The Algorithm That Knows You Too Well
Here's what freaks me out about TikTok:
The app can predict your interests with scary accuracy after just 40 minutes of watching.
You don't tell it anything. You don't follow anyone. You don't like videos. You just watch—and it knows:
- Your sense of humor
- Your insecurities
- Your political leanings
- Your sexual orientation
- Your mental health state
- Your deepest fears and desires
How?
What TikTok Actually Tracks
Every micro-interaction:
- Videos you watch (even for 0.5 seconds before scrolling)
- How long you watch each video (down to the millisecond)
- Whether you rewatched something
- Videos you scrolled past quickly
- Exactly what moment made you stop scrolling
Your device, completely:
- Full device identifier (IMEI on Android)
- SIM card information
- List of every app on your phone (on some versions)
- Your clipboard contents (caught doing this in 2020)
- Your keystroke patterns
- Your battery state
Your biometrics:
- Face geometry from videos and filters
- Voice characteristics
- Hand movements
- Eye movement tracking (where you look on screen)
- How you hold your phone
Your location:
- GPS (if permitted)
- WiFi networks you connect to
- Time zone
- Speed (are you walking? driving? sitting?)
The Real Story: Addiction By Design
Former TikTok engineers have described the algorithm as designed to create "addiction patterns"—learning exactly what will keep you scrolling even against your own intentions.
Remember my 57-minute TikTok session?
I planned to watch one video. The algorithm had other plans.
It learned:
- What makes me laugh
- What makes me pause
- What makes me feel inadequate enough to keep watching
- What time of day I'm most vulnerable
- What emotional state keeps me engaged longest
The algorithm isn't giving you what you want. It's giving you what will keep you watching longest.
And here's the thing: it works even when you know it's happening.
The China Question (Yeah, We Have to Talk About It)
TikTok's parent company ByteDance is subject to Chinese law, which requires companies to share data with the government.
TikTok says US data stays in the US. But:
- ByteDance employees in China have accessed US user data (proven)
- The algorithm itself was developed in China
- Chinese law requires cooperation with intelligence services
- Independent verification of data segregation? Hasn't happened.
Whether you're worried about the Chinese government or not, the data collection itself is the problem.
Snapchat: The "Private" Platform That Tracks Everything
Snapchat built its brand on privacy. "Your messages disappear!"
But there's a massive gap between perception and reality.
The Snap Map: Real-Time Location Surveillance
Here's what most Snapchat users don't realize:
Snap Map doesn't just show your current location. It records your location history even when you're not actively using the map.
It knows:
- Where you live (you're there every night)
- Where you work (you're there every weekday)
- Where you go on dates
- Which friends you see most
- What businesses you visit
- How you move through your city
This data has literally been used to track stalking victims.
Despite Snapchat's "safety features," law enforcement has used location data to track suspects' movements. If police can access it, what makes you think it's private?
The "Disappearing" Illusion
Yes, your Snaps disappear.
But Snapchat still knows:
- Who you sent it to
- When you sent it
- How many times they viewed it
- Whether they took a screenshot
- What filter you used
- Where you were when you sent it
The message disappears. The metadata doesn't.
It's like burning a letter but keeping detailed notes about:
- Who you sent it to
- What day and time
- Where you were
- How they reacted
- Who else saw it
That's not privacy. That's the illusion of privacy.
The Advertising Reality
Snapchat makes money by:
- Tracking your precise location and selling that to advertisers
- Analyzing your Stories to profile your interests
- Recording which ads you view and interact with
- Partnering with retailers to track if you bought something after seeing an ad
You're not the customer. You're being sold, location and all.
Reddit: The "Anonymous" Platform That Isn't
Reddit feels anonymous. Username instead of real name. No profile photo. You can be whoever you want.
But here's what Reddit actually knows:
Your Complete Psychological Profile
Your subreddit memberships reveal:
- Political beliefs (r/politics, r/conservative, r/socialism)
- Health conditions (r/diabetes, r/cancer, r/mentalhealth)
- Sexual preferences (various NSFW subreddits)
- Financial situation (r/povertyfinance, r/fatFIRE)
- Deepest insecurities (r/relationships, r/amitheasshole)
- Mental health struggles (r/depression, r/anxiety, r/suicidewatch)
This is incredibly detailed interest data that users voluntarily provide, thinking they're anonymous.
The "Anonymous" Illusion
Reddit tracks:
- Your IP address (reveals location)
- Posting times (reveals time zone and sleep schedule)
- Writing style (can be matched to other accounts)
- Cross-references with other posts
- Patterns that create a unique fingerprint
Researchers have successfully deanonymized Reddit users by cross-referencing their post history with other social media accounts.
A real example:
Someone posted detailed questions about a specific medical condition in r/medical. A year later, they posted about working at a specific company. Six months after that, they mentioned their city.
Three data points = identifiable.
The AI Training Business
In 2024, Reddit sold access to its data for AI training. Your posts, comments, and interactions are now training AI models.
You wrote those comments thinking they were just... comments. Now they're corporate assets being sold to the highest bidder.
When You Use All Of Them: The Complete Picture
Most people use multiple platforms. When you do, the combined data is terrifying.
From YouTube: What you watch, search for, and are influenced by
From TikTok: Your subconscious preferences and addiction patterns
From Snapchat: Where you go, who you see in real life
From Reddit: What you really think when you're "anonymous"
Combined, they know:
- Your complete daily routine
- Your political and social beliefs
- Your health conditions and mental state
- Your financial situation
- Your relationship status and problems
- Your deepest insecurities
- Your fears and desires
- What triggers you emotionally
- What time of day you're most vulnerable
- What will make you spend money
- What will change your opinion
- What will keep you addicted
This is used to:
- Target advertising with unprecedented precision
- Create addictive content experiences
- Influence your opinions and purchasing
- Build AI systems trained on human psychology
- Enable surveillance by corporations and governments
"I Have Nothing to Hide" Doesn't Apply
Some people say they don't care because they have "nothing to hide."
But this isn't about observation. It's about manipulation.
Real example:
You search "signs of depression" at 3am. You don't tell anyone.
The platforms now know you're vulnerable. They start showing you:
- Self-help ads
- Therapy services
- Pharmaceutical ads
- Motivational content that keeps you scrolling
- Products that prey on your insecurity
You're not being watched. You're being exploited.
Why Future You Should Care
You don't know how data collected today will be used in 10 years:
- Political climates change
- Companies get acquired
- Data gets breached
- Legal frameworks shift
- What's legal today might be illegal tomorrow (or vice versa)
Your 2024 Google searches could be used against you in 2034.
What You Can Actually Do
1. Understand the Trade-Off
"Free" platforms aren't free. You pay with your data, your attention, and your autonomy.
Ask yourself: Is this worth it?
2. Use Platform Settings (But Know Their Limits)
All these platforms have privacy settings:
YouTube:
- Pause watch history
- Delete data regularly
- Don't use Google sign-in everywhere
TikTok:
- Turn off personalized ads
- Limit data sharing
- Turn off Snap Map immediately
Snapchat:
- Disable location access
- Turn off ad personalization
Reddit:
- Don't link real identity
- Use throwaway accounts for sensitive topics
- Regularly delete history
But understand: Settings reduce data collection. They don't eliminate it.
The business model requires your data. Settings just limit how much.
3. Reduce Usage (The Only Real Solution)
The only way to fully prevent data collection is to not use the platform.
Consider:
- Set time limits (and actually follow them)
- Delete apps from your phone
- Use browser versions with ad blockers
- Take social media breaks
- Ask yourself: Does this app actually improve my life, or just steal my time?
4. Choose Privacy-Respecting Alternatives
For private communication with friends and family, use platforms that:
- Don't monetize through advertising
- Minimize data collection by design
- Use end-to-end encryption for everything
- Are open source and auditable
- Have a business model that doesn't require your data
What Snugg Does Differently
We built Snugg specifically because we were sick of the surveillance.
Here's what we don't do:
❌ No algorithmic feed – You see what your friends share, in order. No manipulation.
❌ No data mining – We don't analyze your behavior, interests, or psychology. We can't—everything is encrypted.
❌ No advertising – We make money from subscriptions, not surveillance. We have zero incentive to collect your data.
❌ No location tracking – We don't know where you are, where you've been, or where you're going.
❌ No third-party sharing – Your data doesn't leave the system. No "partners," no "integrations," no data sales.
Here's what we do:
✅ End-to-end encrypt everything – Posts, comments, photos, videos. If we can't read it, we can't abuse it.
✅ Minimal metadata – We don't log who viewed what, when you read messages, or your usage patterns.
✅ True deletion – When you delete your account, we destroy your encryption keys. Your data becomes unreadable noise.
✅ Open source – Don't trust us? Verify the code yourself. Security researchers can audit everything.
✅ Transparent pricing – You pay us. We provide a service. No hidden data deals.
The fundamental difference:
These platforms make money by knowing everything about you and selling that access.
Snugg makes money by keeping your conversations private.
Our incentives are aligned with your privacy. Theirs aren't.
The Bottom Line
YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Reddit provide real value. They're entertaining. They connect people. They're useful.
But they come with a cost most users don't understand.
The question isn't whether they collect data—they do, extensively.
The question is whether you're comfortable with that trade-off.
For watching public content and entertainment? Maybe the trade-off is acceptable.
For private conversations with the people you actually care about?
You deserve better.
Try Snugg
If you're looking for a space where your conversations stay private—not just encrypted, but truly private—give Snugg a try.
What you get:
- ✅ 30-day free trial (no credit card)
- ✅ Everything encrypted end-to-end
- ✅ No ads, ever
- ✅ Chronological feed (no algorithm)
- ✅ Open source and audited
- ✅ Built for people who actually value privacy
What you don't get:
- ❌ Data collection
- ❌ Behavioral tracking
- ❌ Advertising
- ❌ Algorithm manipulation
- ❌ Surveillance disguised as features
Join the waitlist →
Questions?
"Isn't this just paranoia?"
No. Read the privacy policies. They tell you exactly what they collect. I didn't make any of this up.
"But everyone uses these platforms..."
Everyone smoked cigarettes in the 1960s too. Popularity doesn't equal safety.
"I can't quit—all my friends are there."
You don't have to quit everything. Use these platforms for public stuff. Use something private for actual private conversations.
"How do I know Snugg is different?"
We're open source. Verify the code. We'll publish security audits. We can't lie about encryption—cryptographers would catch us immediately.
Share this post if you know someone who thinks "free" apps are actually free.
About Snugg: We're building a private social platform for small groups. No ads, no tracking, no surveillance. Just end-to-end encrypted conversations with the people you actually care about.
Learn more: snugg.social
Questions: hello@snugg.social
About the Author - Sam Bartlett
I'm a yacht surveyor based in the Caribbean and the founder of Snugg. After 15 years watching social media platforms prioritize ads over genuine connection, I decided to build the alternative. I previously built and ran a successful sailing holiday business, topping Google search results for years before algorithm changes destroyed organic reach. I'm not a developer or privacy activist—just someone who got tired of platforms that forgot their purpose. When I'm not building Snugg or surveying yachts, I wish everyone had more time for sailing in beautiful places (or whatever brings you joy).
Connect with me:
- Twitter: @snugg_social
- LinkedIn: Sam Bartlett
- Email: hello@capitainesam.com