Because data is such a valuable commodity, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Google is gathering a great deal of information about you. Google (GOOG, +7.37%) knows your name, address, phone number, email address, and search history, among other things.
Search businesses keep track of the websites you’ve visited, your credit card spending, your work address information, and the addresses of all of your friends and family members, among other things.
These companies’ data centers collect and retain information about your movements, both online and off. We all consented to a component of this surveillance system being in place at some time in our lives. After all, it was the most convenient option.
However, given the ever-growing number of lawsuits that Google is accruing, it is essential to examine measures to protect your information out of Google’s prying eyes, should this information be used for purposes other than providing an “enhanced user experience and targeted advertisements.”
Here’s how you can do precisely that:
Turning off location monitoring is the first step in this process. Google’s location history is a feature of the Google Maps app that keeps track of the places you’ve visited as well as the times you visited there.
It’s a great way to keep track of your travels. You can obtain your location history by following the methods outlined below.
- Access your Google account by logging in.
- Click on the link.
- To switch off the computer, use the “turn off” button. A popup window will appear.
- Scroll down and press the “pause” button.
Here’s what this will do, according to the company:
“Interrupting Location History may cause tailored experiences across Google services to be limited or disabled. For example, you may not get suggestions based on areas you’ve been or useful insights regarding your commute if you haven’t visited there recently.”
Google, on the other hand, says, “When you use other Google sites, applications, and services, your location may still be retained in your Google Account, even if you log out.
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For example, when your Web & App Activity option is enabled, location data may be recorded as part of the activity on Search and Maps, and it may also be included in your images, depending on the settings of your camera app.”
As you may guess, we aren’t finished just yet. The next item on our to-do list is completely erasing Google’s historical activity information by removing outdated location history.
The steps are as follows:
- If you haven’t done so previously, sign in to your Google account.
- Please click on the link.
- A trash can symbol will appear in the bottom right corner of your screen. Click on it to empty your garbage. Click on it.
- A popup window will appear on your screen. Select “delete location history” from the drop-down menu and click “delete.”
There’s one more step you need to do before being as private as you possibly can inside the Google environment.
Meaning removing records of your previous online and app behavior and prohibiting the organization from collecting that sort of information in the future. First and foremost, we must prevent Google from gathering data.
It may be accomplished by following these steps:
- If you haven’t done so previously, sign in to your Google account.
- Please click on the link.
- Select “saving activity” from the drop-down menu.
- Select “turn off” from the drop-down menu. A popup window will appear.
- Scroll down and press the “pause” button.
Please remember that you may also set up automatic erasure of your previous online and app activity from this page. You have three-time choices to pick from 18 months, 36 months, and 38 months.
Finally, the last step: Deleting your net and app activity.
- If you haven’t done so previously, sign in to your Google account.
- Please click on the link.
- Select “filter by date and product” from the drop-down menu and press the “remove” button. A popup window will appear.
- Click “always.” Click “next.
- ” Press the “delete” button.”
That’s all there is to it. That should be sufficient to effectively delete your actions from all of Google’s data of your activities. Please read my other tutorial if you want to be safer, more private, and more anonymous online.
Wishing you the best of success and keep you safe online.