Ever curious about what Google knows about you? Discover it NOW!
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Have you ever wondered exactly what the internet knows or stores about you?
Does it have you a little concerned? It's a question on all our minds lately.
With just a handful of key clicks, you can uncover all the nitty-gritty about what Google has on you, from your passions and hobbies to your most trodden roads.
It can sometimes feel like Google has extensive knowledge of our travel history, but it's crucial to clarify that the statement about Google documenting your travel history is not entirely accurate.
While Google does offer a feature called ‘Location History’ that allows users to track their own location data if activated, it is an optional feature, and individuals have control over whether they want to use it or not.
If enabled, the feature can create a record of the places visited, including countries, cities, tourist attractions, and other locations.
For a trip down memory lane, you can explore past adventures by accessing your Google Maps timeline. Simply open the Google Maps app and look for the ‘Your Timeline’ option, conveniently located under the three lines in the top left corner.
From there, you can precisely see where you've been and even select specific dates to reminisce about hidden gems of eateries or watering holes you may have passed by.
Photography enthusiasts will also find interest in Google's photo tracking feature. If you have enabled location tracking, Google records the location where each photo was taken and saves it in the image's metadata.
To explore your photographic travel chronicles, delve into the Google Photos app and search for places. By selecting ‘View all’, you can browse through photos taken at various locations, offering a delightful journey down memory lane.
You know those personalised advertisements appearing out of nowhere when you're surfing the web? It is true that Google collects data from various sources, including search records, browsing history, and information within your Google Account, to personalise advertisements that appear while you surf the web.
To explore this aspect further, visit your Google account's privacy and personalisation settings. By clicking on ‘ad settings’ and ‘ad personalisation’, you can uncover the ad profile that Google has created for you.
This profile includes information such as your age, gender, household income, educational background, and even your relationship status.
While this level of personalisation may be seen as intrusive by some, it's important to note that you have the option to reduce targeted advertisements by simply turning off the ad personalisation toggle.
Transparency is a virtue Google claims it values. It appears to keep no secret about its data collection and reasoning. Thankfully as users, you have a choice to control what data is stored in your Google account and also its shelf life.
It swears never to host a bidding war and sell your information nor exploit your sensitive elements such as your race, religion, or sexual orientation to customise ads.
For now, the content generated and secured in apps like Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos remains off-limits for ad objectives.
In conclusion, we also wield the controls to limit how much and in what way they oversee us. You can manage and choose what permissions to grant to for your peace of mind. We aren't completely powerless!
How do you feel about Google's data collection practices and the level of personalisation it offers? Do you believe individuals have enough control over their privacy settings and the data stored by Google? Share your thoughts on the topic.
Does it have you a little concerned? It's a question on all our minds lately.
With just a handful of key clicks, you can uncover all the nitty-gritty about what Google has on you, from your passions and hobbies to your most trodden roads.
It can sometimes feel like Google has extensive knowledge of our travel history, but it's crucial to clarify that the statement about Google documenting your travel history is not entirely accurate.
Google is a multinational technology company known for its search engine, which has become synonymous with online searching. Image by brett_jordan from unsplash
While Google does offer a feature called ‘Location History’ that allows users to track their own location data if activated, it is an optional feature, and individuals have control over whether they want to use it or not.
If enabled, the feature can create a record of the places visited, including countries, cities, tourist attractions, and other locations.
For a trip down memory lane, you can explore past adventures by accessing your Google Maps timeline. Simply open the Google Maps app and look for the ‘Your Timeline’ option, conveniently located under the three lines in the top left corner.
From there, you can precisely see where you've been and even select specific dates to reminisce about hidden gems of eateries or watering holes you may have passed by.
Photography enthusiasts will also find interest in Google's photo tracking feature. If you have enabled location tracking, Google records the location where each photo was taken and saves it in the image's metadata.
To explore your photographic travel chronicles, delve into the Google Photos app and search for places. By selecting ‘View all’, you can browse through photos taken at various locations, offering a delightful journey down memory lane.
Google offers a wide range of products and services, including email, cloud storage, productivity tools, advertising platforms, and operating systems, among others. Image by PhotoMIX Company from pexels
You know those personalised advertisements appearing out of nowhere when you're surfing the web? It is true that Google collects data from various sources, including search records, browsing history, and information within your Google Account, to personalise advertisements that appear while you surf the web.
To explore this aspect further, visit your Google account's privacy and personalisation settings. By clicking on ‘ad settings’ and ‘ad personalisation’, you can uncover the ad profile that Google has created for you.
This profile includes information such as your age, gender, household income, educational background, and even your relationship status.
While this level of personalisation may be seen as intrusive by some, it's important to note that you have the option to reduce targeted advertisements by simply turning off the ad personalisation toggle.
Transparency is a virtue Google claims it values. It appears to keep no secret about its data collection and reasoning. Thankfully as users, you have a choice to control what data is stored in your Google account and also its shelf life.
It swears never to host a bidding war and sell your information nor exploit your sensitive elements such as your race, religion, or sexual orientation to customise ads.
For now, the content generated and secured in apps like Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos remains off-limits for ad objectives.
In conclusion, we also wield the controls to limit how much and in what way they oversee us. You can manage and choose what permissions to grant to for your peace of mind. We aren't completely powerless!
How do you feel about Google's data collection practices and the level of personalisation it offers? Do you believe individuals have enough control over their privacy settings and the data stored by Google? Share your thoughts on the topic.
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