Earlier this year, Google had made several changes to their interface in order to be more transparent about the user information they collect and made it easier for the users to control their security and privacy while using Google products.
The company is now making it easier for users to control their ‘search activity’. Without leaving the Search tab, users can now review and delete their recent search activity.
Now users can access relevant privacy controls in their Gooogle accounts quickly and also learn about how Search uses their data.
Whenever you’re using a Google product, you share some data with the company. This includes the things you search for, the websites you visit and even your location information.
Before this update, if a user wished to review and delete the data acquired by Google, they had to do so via their Google Account. With this update, Google has put these controls right in front of the users directly within the Search.
Also read:Â How to stop Google from saving your location data and delete it too
You can now review and manage your data gathered by Google through your search activity and get right back to searching again.
You can access these settings by clicking on the menu icon on the top left, then clicking on Your data in Search.
“To control the ads you see when you search, we give you access to your Ad Settings. Additionally, you can access your Activity Controls to decide what information Google saves to your account and uses to make Search and other Google services faster, smarter and more useful,” Eric Miraglia, Director of Product Management, Privacy and Data Protection Office, Google, stated.
Also read:Â 9 ways to ensure your privacy is protected on Google Chrome
If you wish to learn more about all the data that is being generated and collected by Google services whenever you use them, you can do so by watching this video that is a little longer than a minute.
If you don’t wish to watch the video, we’ve put together all the relevant information in the video below.
According to Google’s video, whenever you search for something using Google, a lot of data is generated, that includes what you’re searching for, the links you interact with, the location you’re searching from and what type of device you’re using.
This data is used anonymously to make searching easier for everyone — for e.g., helps with search suggestions and gives you better results even if the search terms isn’t as accurate. The data is also used to personalise the search for a user — showing more relevant information. Based on information in your Google account and the data collected, ads are also personalised.
Google also says that they do not share any information with advertisers that can identify you. If you wish to opt out of personalised ads or results, you can do so by accessing your privacy settings via your Google account.
This new privacy and security setting changes will be reflected in the Google Search on desktop and mobile web starting today. For Google app running on Android and iOS, these changes will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
The same feature will also be expanded to Google Maps and other Google products next year.
Also read: If Google says a website isn’t secure, what does it really mean?
