Google most trusted brand in Australia

Tech giant Google has a better reputation than Samsung and Apple in the country, according to a new report, despite the fact that the company has been drawing flak for collecting users' personal data.

The Brand Institute of Australia has revealed in its 2019 National Reputation Health Report that Google is the most trusted brand in the country.

The Institute made the call based on interviews with 2,000 Aussie adults, along with its performance in seven key reputation-driving factors, including product and services, innovation, communication, financial performance, customer value, operations and, surprisingly, social responsibility, TechRadar reported on Monday.

Google outpaced Australia's beloved hardware store chain Bunnings which came in second place, followed by South Korean tech major Samsung and Apple in third and fourth place, respectively. 

However, the win may come as a surprise for those fighting for privacy.

Last year, it was announced that Google was being placed under investigation in Australia for large scale Android data harvesting, with a report submitted to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleging that the data collected about individual users each month amounted to roughly a gigabyte per device, the report added.