Internet – What Google Knows About You and What Information It Can Access

Google Collects and Stores Thousands of User Information. Learn How to Select and Delete This Information and How to Have More Privacy on the Internet.

The searches made on Google are collected and stored in order to continue the algorithm. It is through this collection of interests that ads and promotions are recommended, which leads to discussions and doubts regarding security on the internet and the use of social networks.

Google can store all kinds of information, such as search histories, location, and even patterns of behavior. However, it is possible to delete this data stored by Google during browsing.

How to Have More Privacy on the Internet

In Google’s main panel, the initial data, called “personal information,” such as email, name, date of birth, phone number, and gender, is displayed. This information available on the internet can be hidden, preventing its visibility to others. Additionally, through the option offered by Google “Choose What Others Can See,” the details of this information can remain discreet. 

Google knows what your searches on the internet are and what apps are used, such as Maps, Play Store, Translator, Chrome, among others. Furthermore, Google also stores your location history while the GPS is active, even if Google Maps is not used daily by the user. The search history and videos watched on YouTube are also saved by Google.

To give the public more privacy and preserve their information and searched data, there is a Google feature that deletes search histories after a maximum retention period. The user can also increase and have more control over their privacy by checking the “Data and Privacy” area in their profile, under the “Data from Apps and Services You Use” section, by clicking the right-facing arrow.

When the user creates a Google account and an email address on Gmail, they accept the terms of service, which detail how Google utilizes the sources of information. Therefore, by following the mentioned steps, the user can gain more control over what is monitored in each app and avoid the leakage of unwanted information.

Deleting and Choosing the Information Shared with Google

The user can choose the information they want to share with Google, as well as delete this information, including, for example, browsing pixels, cookies for sending news, and promotions from virtual stores. They must access the general settings website of Google, selecting the “Data and Personalization” section.

The section has the “My Activity” option, where the user can see everything connected to their Google account, in addition to their web search history, YouTube, Gmail, among other apps. This way, they can choose which information they want to keep and which they want to delete.

The “Timeline” option offers information on the entire location history linked to the account via a map. The user can choose a date to better analyze what is stored in this option.

To delete any information from the “Data and Personalization” section, one must click the three dots on the right side of the screen and select the “delete” option.

The selection of information that the user wishes to share on the internet can be done manually. That is, they must deactivate data storage. This option is at the top of the page, where the user must select one of the options (web and app activity, location history, and YouTube history) and choose to enable or disable data storage on the internet.