GOOGLE keeps tabs on what you search and where you go.
Every search you perform, YouTube video you watch and location you visit is logged by the US tech titan and used to build a profile about you.
Criticism of Google’s data harvesting has intensified in recent years[/caption]
It’s part of the company’s drive to gather as much data as possible from its users to help it target advertisements.
The search giant says that it hoards your data in order to improve its services.
Google’s rampant tracking affects some two billion users of devices that run its Android operating software.
It also impacts hundreds of millions of worldwide iPhone users who rely on Google for maps or search.
Storing your minute-by-minute travels carries privacy risks and has been used by police to determine the location of suspects.
For the most part, Google is upfront about asking permission to use your location information.
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An app like Google Maps will remind you to allow access to location if you use it for navigating.
The Silicon Valley behemoth has come under fire in recent years for its invasive location tracking.
It has previously been accused of recording people’s movements even when they explicitly tell it not to through Google’s privacy settings.
Following a 2018 investigation by the Associated Press, the firm made it easier to find and delete your data. You just have to know where to look.
It’s possible to block the search giant’s snooping by jumping into your settings.
You can even ask the company to wipe all of the location and search data it has on you to ensure your movements remain nobody’s business but yours.
Turning off and deleting tracking is a multi-step process.
How to turn off Google location tracking
If you want to completely turn off location tracking, you’ll have to follow these steps.
1. Open up Google.com on your smartphone browser or desktop.
2. Log into your Google account by hitting the top-right icon.
3. Select that icon and then Manage your Google Account.
4. In the Privacy & Personalization box, select Manage your data & privacy.
5. Scroll down to the Activity Controls, and hit Manage your activity controls.
6. In the box called Web & App Activity, slide the toggle switch to off.
7. A disclosure will explain what disabling this setting will do before you select Pause.
How to delete old location data
Along with turning off tracking, you’ll need to delete your location data from the past.
1. Open up Google.com on your smartphone browser or desktop.
2. Log into your Google account by hitting the top-right icon.
3. Select that icon and then Manage your Google Account.
4. In the Data & Privacy box, select Manage your data & privacy.
5. Scroll down to the Activity Controls, and hit Manage your activity controls.
6. Select Manage History, which will open a map and corresponding timeline. Click the Trash button on the bottom right hand corner of the map to delete your history.
7. A disclosure will explain what disabling this setting will do before you confirm you want to Delete.
Stop Google from tracking web and app activity
1. Open up Google.com on your smartphone browser or desktop.
2. Log into your Google account by hitting the top-right icon.
3. Select that icon and then Manage your Google Account.
4. In the Data & Privacy box, select Data from Apps & Services You Use.
5. Scroll down to the Activity Controls, and hit Manage your activity controls.
6. In the box called Web & App Activity, slide the toggle switch to off.
7. A disclosure will explain what disabling this setting will do before you select Pause.
Delete Google’s web and app data
1. Open up Google.com on your smartphone browser or desktop.
2. Log into your Google account by hitting the top-right icon.
3. Select that icon and then Manage your Google Account.
4. In the Data & Privacy box, select Data from Apps & Services You Use.
5. Scroll down to the Activity Controls, and hit Manage your activity controls.
6. In the box called Download or Delete Your Data, you can erase all collected data–and you can choose to back it up first if need be.
7. A disclosure will explain what disabling this setting will do before you confirm you want to Delete.
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