Effective March 1, Google will commence its new (and controversial) Privacy Policy which enable it to do more in terms of gathering and storing search queries, history, logs, and personal information from its users. Other than closing your Google account(s), you cannot fully block the search engine site from gathering this type of information. But as Daily Mail Online outlined, you can take three easy steps to remove your browsing history from your Google account.
Why would users want to clear their browsing histories? Well, those who may have concerns about their sexual orientation, home location, and other personal interests being revealed as a result of logging into their Google account may not want such information accessed by others. After March 1st, under it’s new Privacy Policy, Google can make available users’ browsing history to all other Google products. If this bothers you, there’s a simple three-step way to remove your browsing history.
1. Log into your Google account. Under your profile name, click on “Account settings.”
2. Scroll down to the Services section and click on “Go to web history.”
3. At the top of the Web History page, click on the “Remove all Web History” button.
You can always return to the Web History page and click the “Resume” button to allow Google to resume collecting your search queries.
If you do not sign into your Google account, Daily Mail Online reports that Google can “track your searches via the computer’s IP address. The only way to clear your personal history is by signing in.”
Source: Daily Mail Online
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I was checking if I had my history paused or not, and it was. I did it many, many years ago. I clicked on “remove all history” just in case I had old stuff in there.
Since I never go to Google to check my browsing history, I just keep it paused.
ME too.
It was paused but today I’ll remove it
I do not normally log into my account, but, after reading the headline I decided I would log in and saw I had mine disabled the whole time. If that doesn’t do anything I might consider deleting entire google account.
Yeah, some days I get concerned about how much personal data is being collected by websites and apps these days. At first it starts out benign and then eventually it can get out of hand.
I don’t know if i understood well… What this article is talking about is that Google can acces your search history, but it will be kept inside google?? i mean, google will never share my personal information with other people?? it will stay at Google servers, maybe (but not likely) accessed by Google Staff?? what’s the problem with that?? if it’s meant to improve my google services, but won’t reveal anything i don’t want to be public, then it surely be good!
Antonio, as I noted in the article, some people may want to protect their private life for various reasons, and the searches you conduct through Google might reveal/relate to personal information about yourself that you don’t publicly known. Plus, I think some people are just concerned about possible misuse and manipulation of search data over time. But your point is well taken. The browsing history that Google collects might be helpful to end users using certain apps.
And what if Google’s servers were to be hacked Antonio?
That’s a far fetched assumption. Anyways, I think the average user might just be helped by being served useful content, ads, etc. my opinion
more over the policy has not changed much. It is just that they have combined many of them together. They already have a lot of data on everybody! And why would they care of the data they have on millions of people!
It’s not far-fetched. Hackers have successfully broken into many databases owned by banks, security firms, etc.
Great post, I enjoyed reading it! Keep posting good stuff like this.
Thanks, appreciate the feedback.
Thanks for sharing this!
You’re welcome.
From what I understand, with the new policy your google searches can reflect in all google products, including youtube, google+, etc. So google making search recommendations for you like it normally does will now extend to youtube for example, and if theres something personal youve searched ( the article referenced sexual orientation), then this could possibly reflect in other areas then a google search.
This is what i understood. If i misinterpreted someone correct me please.
Joshlol, it sounds like you’re right. I want to investigate this issue more. I believe someone wrote an entire book about it.
I personally think we as people should from not only a personal privacy prespective, but a bussiness prespective always have the option to opt out. I beleave that in the long run this is going to b the nail in the coffin for google..
I kinda think that users have to manually opt-in rather than be automatically opted-in when opening a Google account.
If you want it before you delete it, be sure to check out my Google History Download script.
Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for this. Just to get this clear though, searches I make when not logged into a google account are ok, right? I mean no data is kept that can later be assigned to my Google account.
Have opted to adopt this simply because the all powerful conglomerates are simply in possession of too much personal data.
Do Google have a UK company? I ask this as I am unfamiliar with American data protection laws but in the UK I imagine it would be one’s right under this or the Freedom of information act to obtain any of your data that they held.
Imagine the effect on Google of everyone requesting such data.
Hmmm, great question.
I know that 80% of people who fiontucn on computers end up with back pain or sciatica just like I did. It is NOT fun. I don’t know if you have ever knowledgeable it, but considering the fact that you have a internet site with lots of content material I can assume that you spend at least a few hours each and every day on the computer. I hope you are not currently suffering with back pain or sciatica, in which case I recommend you commence positioning your workspace extra ergonomically and understand about back health and safety to prevent injuries! There aren’t lots of that work with no resorting to dangerours surgeries like the 1 I was about to have in September! So I have justbeen remind people today lately when I locate a cool web site with somebody who has of course been working very tough, that they should often try to keep in mind to sit with superior posture at the pc!! Sorry for the unrelated comment but I assume it’s an significant thing to remind men and women about. Cheers!!
I’m confused. The article at The Daily Mail says,
“A user of Gmail, for instance, may send messages about a private meeting with a colleague and may not want the location of that meeting to be thrown into Google’s massive cauldron of data or used for Google’s maps”
Does that mean, they can take things from private emails as well and store them, use them or do whatever the want with them?
You know, I’ve heard that while Google doesn’t read emails, I believe it does has some kind of system that reads for keywords and such in emails. Again, it’s the ad-supported trade off you get for using their free services.
Let’s remember folks OTHER SEARCH ENGINES are available. Ixquick for instance ! Maybe time for a search engie article peeps?
You’re right. Here’s one MUO article with a list of alternatives: Top 7 Semantic Search Engines As An Alternative To Google
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-7-semantic-search-engines-alternative-google-search/
One more reason Google needs to die. They are now officially super douche bags.
Hmm, your criticism might make for an interesting article, with supporting arguments and facts.
So, in order to keep the search history private, the option SHOULD be permanently paused, correct?
Yep, permanently paused.
I noticed in recent months that if I searched Google for products, ads would begin to appear in the Google ads adjacent to the pages I was viewing. Thanks, I have removed Google history,
Yeah, that’s exactly the purpose of Google tracking user browsing, is to deliver eyeballs to ads. Of course, advertising is also why much Google’s services are free to users.
Thank you for posting this.
Appreciate it.
When i followed these steps there was no “pause” or “remove all web history” button. All it had was “no thanks” and “turn web history on”. Can I assume that I’m ok since I never turned web history on???
Yeah, can someone confirm this this? I’m not able to chose those options either. I had only “no thanks” and “turn web history on.”
Hmmm, I’m not what’s going on with that. Could you try again and see what happens. Are you using a traditional browser?
thanks for this post!
I didn’t understood I think. @bakari45:disqus I want to echo Antonio_Velázquez’s comment but in another manner. If Google in any way do not going to show our any information to others or if it show (it can surely) & not reveal personally identfiable informatin about us then I think everything is okay.
If Google use our Web History to improve its services for us then its good. Like I’ve searched for porn a lot but why I should bother? IF Google IS NOT going to give my information like “this person” searched for “this” or any other information in the same manner or likewise then I think anyone should not care. I’ve read google’s policy’s ‘How we use information we collect’ part at here - http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/preview/ & I didn’t founded any objectionable thing.
P.S. You’ve given 3 steps to remove web history. Directly go to https://www.google.com/history/ and delete it.
I think some of the concern also is with Google being able to automatically track your browsing history, and thus that history being available for others who access your computer, or public computer that you use.
thanks for the info
great written and easy to understand thank you.
Thanks for the feedback. Appreciate it.
Thank you very much for the info!
May i ask you if Google will be able to collect information when i use other than Google search engines?
I know that other search engines are even worse because they do exactly the same without even bothering to at least announce it to the public, but still understanding how it works could help me figuring out how i can protect myself.
Rei,
Using a different search engine means that Google won’t see your search queries and thus it also can’t store them. What the other search engine does with your data of course is a different story.
But I still don’t understand who will have access to my google searches unless they have access to my account? For example, if I google my sister’s name, how would she know I googled her unless she was logged in as me and looked at my web history? What other google products will this information be available to?