Many people have no idea that the Internet knows exactly where they are at any time. Smartphone users are especially easy to locate, especially when they use popular apps like Google Maps. Google actually uses a built-in location feature that not only displays the location of the smartphone user, but also saves it with every update.
Google is tracking your movements
This tracking done by Google can have very negative consequences. Criminals and hackers can easily find out where their potential victims are at any time. The same goes for stalkers, even when people have taken all the other precautions, they can still be found if they leave a location history.
It may sound like a bad joke, but unfortunately it's the reality. If you're not quite sure, try this: Sign in to your Google Account and click on Google Location History, or the "Your Trips" page, this page will show a Google Map and allows you to select specific dates and times and see where you were at any time. Its accuracy depends on whether you have been logged in to your Google Account and that you had a phone or tablet at that time. You can now see all the places you went on any date!
The good news is that you can decide how much your data can be saved. Just follow these steps:
- First check if your location feature is enabled by going to this link.
- If the location feature is enabled, you must disable it.
- Disabling the feature does not delete previously saved data.
To delete the history of your locations, click on "Manage History", so you can see all the places you have visited in the last month. Here you can determine which period of your location history should be deleted.
On the other hand, users using Google's voice search or the "Ok Google" or "Google Now" voice assistant are also stored in all their voice searches.
Google saves all your searches
Google also has all your search history stored, as well as all voice memos you do on "Ok google" to do some research.
If you want to disable the audio recording of your searches and delete previous searches, go to the "My Activity" page, then click "Activity Controls", or click this direct link, then disable the "Voice and Audio Activity" option, and to delete the history, simply click on "Manage History" below then choose the desired period and delete the audio you want.
Another part of the data Google stores about you includes your interests, what you buy and what you plan to buy.
At Google, you have a definite profile
One of the most interesting places to check what Google really knows about you is to go to the Ads Settings page, you'll see a profile that Google has created for you based on your search history, YouTube history. and your interests. For example, you may find that you are a woman between the ages of 24 and 30 who is interested in banking, consumer electronics, mobile phones, shooting games, rap, and hip. hop and toys ... etc.
From this page, you can enable or disable ad customization. If you turn off personalization, then the ads that follow you on the web, when you've searched for them once, will stop showing up.
Google's ad network runs on more than two million websites around the world and by limiting its knowledge about you, everything will seem a little less scary.
Share this article with your friends and family so they can decide how their data should be processed. After all, everyone has the right to know what Google does with their personal information!