The tech giants Google, Apple, Facebook (Meta), Amazon, and Microsoft (GAFAM) regularly suffer major data breaches, as evidenced by recurring incidents documented since 2018. These leaks, often linked to operational negligence or intrusive data collection strategies, raise crucial questions about data sovereignty.
Google: A Culture of Secrecy and Recurring Leaks
The Massive 2024 Leak on the Search Algorithm
In May 2024, 2,500 pages of internal documents related to the workings of Google's search algorithm were leaked, revealing practices contrary to the company's public statements 2 7 13. These documents confirm that:
- Google uses Chrome browsing data to rank results, despite its previous denials2.
- The NavBoost system analyzes user clicks and bounce rates to personalize results, a methodology hidden since 20087. This leak, described as "unprecedented" by Rand Fishkin (founder of SparkToro), exposes a structural gap between official statements and actual practices13.
Prior Incidents: The Google+ Affair (2018)
As early as 2018, a flaw in the Google+ social network had exposed the data of 500,000 accounts, including names, email addresses, and occupations. Google had waited six months before disclosing the incident, citing the absence of malicious exploitation1.
Facebook (Meta): A Damning Track Record of Negligence
The 533 Million User Leak (2019-2021)
A vulnerability in the contact synchronization API, patched too late in 2019, enabled the exfiltration of:
- Phone numbers
- Dates of birth
- Geographic locations of 533 million users, including 3.5 million Canadians (including Quebec residents) 8 12. This data, initially sold on the dark web, was made public in 2021, facilitating phishing campaigns12.
Recurring Incidents (2013-2024)
Facebook has accumulated 12 major leaks between 2013 and 2024 12:
- 2018: Exposure of private posts from 14 million users for five days.
- 2022: Leak of 419 million phone numbers via an unsecured server12. These repeated incidents illustrate a systemic pattern of lax management, despite regular fines4.
Microsoft: Repeated Configuration Errors
The Exposure of 38 TB of Sensitive Data (2024)
In January 2024, a misconfiguration of Azure SAS tokens exposed for three years:
- Private encryption keys
- 30,000 internal Teams messages
- Passwords for critical systems3. This negligence, discovered by Wiz Research, involved a public GitHub repository linked to AI projects, revealing high-risk storage practices3.
The 2022 Incident: 65,000 Customers Affected
An error in Microsoft Endpoint Manager had made accessible:
- 335,000 internal emails
- 548,000 user files belonging to companies in 111 countries. Microsoft downplayed the impact, although SOCRadar estimated the exposure at 2.4 TB of data9.
Amazon: The Vulnerability of Third-Party Partners
The MoveIt Leak (2023-2024)
In November 2024, Amazon confirmed the theft of 2.8 million employee records via a vulnerability in MoveIt software used by a subcontractor6. The data included:
- Professional postal addresses
- Building coordinates
- Internal identifiers6. This incident underscores the risks associated with the extended ecosystem of cloud providers, where a single third-party vulnerability can compromise giants like Amazon.
Implications for Quebec and Canada
Local Impact of Global Leaks
- 3.18 million Quebecers affected by the 2019 Facebook leak, according to Le Devoir12.
- In 2022, data from 117 Quebec businesses leaked via the Microsoft Endpoint Manager incident9.
Regulatory Response: Bill 25
Since 2023, Quebec mandates:
- Fines of up to $25 million CAD for failure to protect data.
- A mandatory notification within 72 hours after detecting a breach12.
Comparative Analysis of Big Tech Practices
Company | Primary Cause of Leaks | Typically Exposed Data | Frequency (2018-2024) |
Defective API configurations | Chrome user data, internal algorithms | 5 major incidents | |
Unpatched API vulnerabilities | Phone numbers, locations | 12 major incidents | |
Microsoft | Cloud storage errors | Teams messages, encryption keys | 7 major incidents |
Amazon | Third-party vulnerabilities (suppliers) | Employee data, internal logs | 3 major incidents |
Conclusion: A Digital Sovereignty Issue
These recurring incidents demonstrate that the concentration of data at Big Tech companies creates single points of failure on a global scale. Their business model, based on the massive exploitation of user data, directly conflicts with individual and national privacy requirements.
The solution lies in:
- Diversifying cloud providers to limit exposure.
- Systematically adopting end-to-end encryption, as advocated by Apple5.
- Strengthening independent audits of storage practices, particularly in Quebec under the aegis of Bill 25.
The recent leaks at Google and Microsoft (2024) confirm that despite security investments, Big Tech remains structurally vulnerable due to the sheer size of their infrastructure and the opacity of their systems 3 7 13. A fundamental reform of their data governance is needed to break this cycle.