Accessing the information Google knows about you is simpler than it sounds. The company itself offers a tool to visualize and control this data. According to the company, the content is used to serve ads relevant to each user, as a way of funding the free services offered.
Items such as searches performed, videos watched, websites visited, as well as apps, browsers and devices used to access Google services may be collected.
In addition, users themselves spontaneously provide information about themselves. This happens when registering an account or while browsing while logged in. This data includes emails written and received in Gmail, saved photos and videos, your YouTube comments, added contacts, and Google Calendar events.
teaches you how to find all the data that Google knows about you through mobile and PC. Also learn how to define what information the company will have access to and download the report that gathers the company's records about your user profile.
How to See What Google Knows About You on Mobile
1. Go to option Setting from your Android phone;
2. Scroll the menu that opens and tap Google;
3. Then go to Google account;
4. Access the tab Data and Customizations;
5. No card Review your privacy options, touch First steps;
6. Next, a list of tools through which Google collects your data will appear. Are they: Web and app activity, Location history, Device information, Voice and audio activity, YouTube search history e YouTube watch history;
7. To find Google's records on each of the topics, go to Manage activity, located at the end of each of the cards. Then available data will be displayed.
How to See What Google Knows About You on PC
1. Open your internet browser and access the Google Privacy Checkup page;
2. If you are not logged in to your Google account, go to Login to get started and enter your login details;
3. If you are already logged in, go to Start now;
4. A list of tools through which Google collects your data will be displayed. Are they: Web and app activity, Location history, Device information, Voice and audio activity, YouTube search history e YouTube watch history;
5. To find Google records on each of the topics, click Manage activity, located at the end of each of the cards.
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How to control the data saved by Google
The information that Google has about its users is divided into categories. Each one of them corresponds to different services offered by the company and it is possible to specify which one you want to give permission for data to be saved or not.
To pause the registration authorization, just follow the steps above (for both mobile and PC) and, within the page of each category, go to Change Configuration.
Below, we explain what type of content is saved by the company and how to act to block each category.
Web and app activity
In this section are the logs of user activities while browsing the internet. According to Google, the following data is captured even when you are offline:
- surveys and other activities performed on the company's products, such as Drive or Maps;
- location, language, IP address, referrer, as well as browser or apps used;
- ads clicked on or items purchased from an advertiser;
- data about your device, such as searched apps or contact names.
If you no longer want the company to save this information, go to the Web and App Activity Control page and disable the switch for the option. Confirm the decision in Pause.
Location history
It is not necessary to be using Google Maps for the company to record the places where users go. The company creates a map with all the places that are visited with the smartphone connected to the Google account.
By checking your location history, you can filter the regions you've been to by year, month or day. In addition, the most frequented places are also highlighted. According to the company, this map can only be viewed by the person himself.
If you no longer want to have your steps monitored, just go to the Activity Tracking page of the Location History and deactivate the corresponding switch. Then confirm your choice in Pause.
Attention: If settings such as Web & App Activity are turned on, it's possible that location data will continue to be saved. According to the company, this information can be recorded due to searches made on the web and Google Maps.
Device information
Google saves a copy of your mobile device data, such as contacts, alarms, calendar, apps, and music. Information about the device, such as battery level, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth quality, and error reports are also saved.
To disable the storage of this data from your phone or tablet, “turn off” the switch for the option on the Activity Control page of Device Information. Complete the process in Save.
YouTube search history
As well as searches made on the web, Google also saves searches performed on YouTube, a video platform that belongs to the company.
To prevent the company from storing this type of information, access the service's search history page and click Clear search history. If you want to delete previous records, also go to Pause Search History.
In the mobile app, just follow the path: icon with your profile picture → settings → History and privacy → activate the option Pause search history.
To delete previous searches, go to the account icon with your profile picture → settings → History and privacy → Clear search history.
YouTube watch history
Videos watched on YouTube are also saved. According to the company, this history helps to create content specifically designed for each user's profile. But if you still want to disable the option, go to the YouTube Watch History Activity Controls page, turn off the corresponding switch and confirm in Pause.
How to download the data Google holds about you
Google offers the ability to download saved personal information. This data can be used for backup or use in non-company services.
To perform the procedure, you must be logged into your account.
1. Go to the Google data download page;
2. All the company's products are listed. If you do not want some or some to be downloaded, just uncheck the corresponding box;
3. Scroll to the bottom and click on next stage;
4. Em Shipping method, you can choose how to receive the content to be downloaded. User can choose to Email Download Link, Add to Google Drive, Add to Dropbox, Add to OneDrive or Add to Box;
5. Then choose the file format enter .zip (most common) or .tgz;
6. Then select the file size between 1GB and 50GB. If the content is larger than specified, it will be split into multiple files with the size defined by the user;
- The company recommends that the user choose between 1GB and 2GB. This is because .zip files larger than 2GB are compressed in .zip64 format, which may not be compatible with older operating systems.
7. Confirm your options at Create file;
8. The completion time of the process will take from minutes to hours, depending on the number of applications chosen to save the data.
Why allow Google to save my data?
According to the company, when your account information is saved, the tools become more agile and useful. For example, voice captures are used to improve speech recognition and better understand the user.
Recorded searches or websites visited provide, according to Google, a faster search experience and smarter performance on platforms like Assistant and Maps. In addition, advertisements and suggested content are personalized according to what the company understands to be your preferences.
It is up to the user to decide whether these indicated benefits are advantageous or not, to the point that the company has access to a series of information about his life, not only virtual, but also real.
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