There are some companies that people don't seem to trust very much - one of them is Google. The reason why the tech giant doesn't enjoy the trust of users is linked to the fact that the company collects a huge amount of data. However, there is a way to see the amount and type of data that is collected.
How to see everything Google knows about you
One good thing is that Google has a central hub for viewing all the data associated with account . Some of this is information you've willingly provided, but there are some things you might not know.
- Then, go to the “Data and personalization”.
- This large page is where you can see all of your data. There are a few sections you'll want to explore. First, scroll down to “Activity and Timeline.
- Here, you'll find shortcuts to two important things:
- My Activity: This is pretty much everything you do that is somehow connected to your Google Account, which includes browsing history, Google searches, YouTube, Google Assistant, location , etc.
- Timeline: This is a special page for your location history displayed on a map. You can customize the dates to really explore your “trips.” Location history is collected by Google Maps and other Google apps.
- The “My Activity” page is where you’ll see your data in real time. Click to “explore” it.
The data is grouped into cards by service (Google.com, YouTube, etc.) and is in roughly chronological order. Select the three-dot menu icon in the corner of the card to see the full history or to delete the activity.
Returning to the “Data and personalization”, there is the “Things you create and do”. Click on “Go to Google Dashboard”.
This is a big list of all the apps and services you use. Each one can be expanded to reveal shortcuts to information.
The Google Dashboard is where you can really dive deep and see exactly how much data Google has on you.
How to Delete Your Google Data
After seeing how much data Google has on you, the next thing you might want to do is delete it. We've already touched on this topic in the section above.
From the My Activity, you can delete pieces of your data that are grouped by service. For example, you can delete all of your Google Search history from a specific day.
However, deleting data like this can be a bit tedious. A better solution is to automatically delete your data after a certain period of time.
At the top of the “My Activity”, you’ll see “Web & App Activity, “Location History,” and “YouTube History.” Finally, click on any of these to customize how your data is tracked.
Source: Fossbytes.com
