As we know, there is a lot of information about us available via the Google products we use. Including our search histories, location mapping requests, app purchases, and more. Therefore, we should master our own privacy with Google.
To begin, review these articles on privacy:
- When People Will Accept Facial Recognition
- Identity Theft by State
- Digital Privacy Is Still a Big Issue
- Americans Want GDRP-Style Laws
- Becoming More Anonymous Online
Tips to Master Our Own Privacy with Google
Through its various tools, Google has billions of consumer interactions per day. For example, there are about 6 billion Google searches daily. Furthermore, people watch 5 billion YouTube (Google-owned) videos daily. And monthly, more than 150 million people use Google Maps.
With this in mind, consider how much data Google has on each of us. So, how can we be more secure?
Recently,
“For years, Google has kept a record of our internet searches by default. The company hoards that data so it can build detailed profiles on us, which helps it make personalized recommendations for content but also lets marketers better target us with ads. While there have been tools to manually purge our Google search histories, few of us remember to do so.”
“I’m recommending that we all try Google’s new privacy tools. In May, the company introduced an option that lets us automatically delete data related to our Google searches, requests made with its virtual assistant and our location history.”
“During October, Google followed up by expanding the auto-delete ability to YouTube. Also, it will roll out a new private mode for when you’re navigating to a destination with its Google Maps app. Which could come in handy if you’re going somewhere you want to keep secret, like a therapist’s office.”
Auto-deleting search history — “Most of Google’s new privacy controls are in a web tool called My Activity. (Here’s the URL: myactivity.google.com.)
Auto-deleting YouTube history — Click here. And look at the chart below.
Private mode and auto-delete in Google Maps — “Also arriving is a so-called Incognito mode in Google Maps. Toggling this lets you look up and navigate to destinations without creating a location history. It also prevents others from seeing your past searches.”
