I went to see what Google knows about me
I learned that there is a page where you can see all your records on Google, so I went to check it out.
Things I searched for, YouTube videos I watched, and apps I used. They were all lined up with dates.
I thought, "So it was all saved."
It's not that I didn't know, but seeing it all in a list like this made me feel a bit uneasy.
All four were turned on
At the top of the page, these items are listed.
Web & App Activity → Search history and site browsing history
Timeline → Movement and location history
Play history → App usage history
YouTube history → History of videos watched
They were all turned on.
I don't remember setting them. Maybe a confirmation screen appeared at some point, but I tend to skip over the detailed explanations and just click "Yes." It feels like it just ended up that way before I noticed.
My search history was indeed saved
When and what I looked up. Even the dates appear.
There were some things I thought, "Oh, I remember looking that up," and others where I thought, "Wait, this was saved?"
Travel destinations, shops I was curious about, things I looked up when I wasn't feeling well. It feels like my interests are just laid out there. Even though I wasn't doing anything wrong, it somehow made me feel uneasy.
If you want to change the settings, do it here
Google Account → Data & Privacy → Web & App Activity
From here, you can turn off recording or delete your history.
You can also set it to "automatically delete after a certain period." I set mine to 3 months. I decided I didn't need to keep everything forever.
Well then.
Smartphones are a daily necessity. Maps, searches, communication, shopping—they are partners we find ourselves using all day long.
That is precisely why I believe it is important to keep track of what is being recorded yourself. Not to be afraid, but to use them while being informed.
If you are curious, please go take a look for yourself. And if you do not want to leave that information behind, you can just change your settings.
When you notice it, that is the time to change it. That is all.
If you have read this far, I would be happy if you could click the ♡ button.
Author: Well then. | Digital Utilization Supporter
I have spent 30 years at IT companies creating "easy-to-understand manuals."
Together, we will turn the "I don't understand IT" of your 50s into "Oh, I can do this after all."