Whether it is the website you visited last night or the order confirmation you received in your email, Google knows everything. Although the incredibly personalized user experience of the Google-Android environment comes at the cost of privacy, Google plans to be more transparent about it. Google My Activity is a new dashboard launched by Google to help you view and manage all the data gathered by Google Services.
Google’s Google My Activity enables you to control your available data from apps and services like YouTube, Google Chrome, Drive, Gmail and more. Now you can enjoy the personalized Google experience while knowing exactly how much privacy you are compromising for it.
When signing in for the first time, Google will ask you for the two-step authentication to proceed to the Google My Activity page. Using the desktop version is preferable, as it gives you extra management options for filtering your saved data.
Apart from the Google Apps that you use on your desktop and Android device, the Google services also highlight third-party apps you have used on your devices. For instance, the timeline will highlight the date, time and the number of times you have used WhatsApp on your Android device.
If you want to learn more about other Google services that track your data, visit the Other Google Activity page and find out more. This page will give you an in-depth idea of aspects such as Location History, Device Information, and the option to download your past searches.
Are you freaked out by how much Google knows about what you do, now that you can see all you Google data records? Don’t you feel it’s good karma on Google’s part to maintain complete transparency with the users? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
Step 1: Sign into Google My Activity dashboard
To see the record collection that Google has on you, visit the Google My Activity web page from your computer or mobile device. If you’re using Chrome and are already signed in to your Google account, you’ll be required to just enter your password to proceed.
When signing in for the first time, Google will ask you for the two-step authentication to proceed to the Google My Activity page. Using the desktop version is preferable, as it gives you extra management options for filtering your saved data.
Step 2: View your saved information on the dashboard
Once you have signed into the Google My Activity page, you will be able to see a timeline of all the activities you have performed. The date-based timeline highlights elements such as Google searches by date and time, watched YouTube videos and websites visited. There is also a filter option that allows you to pinpoint the data records created by Google services over a period of time.
Apart from the Google Apps that you use on your desktop and Android device, the Google services also highlight third-party apps you have used on your devices. For instance, the timeline will highlight the date, time and the number of times you have used WhatsApp on your Android device.
Step 3: Delete a data record from the Google My Activity dashboard
Seeing how extensively Google keeps a data record on you can be overwhelming, and you might want to delete some the more sensitive details. Fortunately, deleting an entry in the data timeline is simply a couple of clicks away. Tap on the three-dot menu button next to the tab you want to remove and press the “Delete” button. Google will remove the data not only from the Google My Activity dashboard but from its central data records as well.
If you want to learn more about other Google services that track your data, visit the Other Google Activity page and find out more. This page will give you an in-depth idea of aspects such as Location History, Device Information, and the option to download your past searches.
Are you freaked out by how much Google knows about what you do, now that you can see all you Google data records? Don’t you feel it’s good karma on Google’s part to maintain complete transparency with the users? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.