Whenever you use Google’s services - whether it’s a quick search, to find directions or to catch up with your favourite YouTube star - Google is harvesting information about what you’re doing. And that’s not something Google tries to hide either.
Its entire business model is built on using what it knows about you to sell targeted advertising to its business customers. It’s a model that is used by many Silicon Valley giants who provide seemingly “free” services, including notably, Facebook.
Well, there’s always the nuclear option - which includes completely removing your dependence on Google’s services. However, Google offers some incredibly useful tools that you’d be forgiven for not being ready to give up. But thankfully, you can take back some control of your data.
Google’s search is still by far its most-used product. After all, it’s what the tech giant is known for. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Google keeps a record of your search activity. And if you’re a Chrome user - which is over 60% of internet users - Google might be holding on to your internet history too. Google’s My Activity page will show you all the data it has collected from your activity.
From this interface, Google will allow you to clear out the data it holds on you, but by heading to the more deeply buried activity controls page, you can toggle off tracking for web activity. This will tell Google to stop storing not only your search history, but also your Chrome history and sites that use Google services. But it won’t stop you from using Google’s services.
Perhaps the most controversial data Google stores about its users is voices. Again, this isn’t a practice that Google hides. Through voice search and its Android voice assistant, Google records any voice input that you provide it with. But perhaps more surprisingly, Google actually lets users listen back on their voice recordings. Of course, Google uses that data to in order to serve more relevant ads, just as it does with regular Google searches.
Thankfully, Google also makes it pretty easy to turn off voice and audio activity when you’re turning off your wider search activity. You just need to head to the Voice and Audio Activity page and click “manage activity” to turn the feature off. From there, Google will also let you manage the voice data it already stores from you. Google has made an increased effort lately to be more transparent in what data it stores and crucially, letting you opt out of storing that data.
If it wasn’t already abundantly clear, Google stores a lot of data about you. It’s a model the tech giant has built its business on. But perhaps some of the most intrusive data Google stores about you includes your every move.
If you own a phone running Google’s mobile OS - Android - or use Google Maps on iOS, chances are, you’ve granted Google access to your location.
You can see how Google puts this information to use on the timeline page. This Google Map provides a complete history of your location, providing you were signed into your Google account on a compatible device. For users who carry their phone everywhere they go, this could mean Google has been following you everywhere. It’s a little creepy and that’s something Google knows; which is why using its location activity controls, you can turn off Google’s ability to store your location.
Of course, Apple awards iOS users with a further control over how third parties can use your location. Within iOS’ settings, you can choose to only allow Google Maps to access your location whilst using the app. This is an option for any app using location services and is generally best practice. That being said, it’s worth remembering that Apple also tracks your device’s location too in order to provide location information to friends and in the event that you lose your device.
If you’re still having a little trouble trusting Google with your privacy, there’s still a number of further measures you can take. An obvious measure would be to use Google’s services with reserve and without an account. However, this can restrict which services you’re able to access. Meanwhile, there’s a number of widely-respected tools for helping you curb privacy concerns, not just as far as Google is concerned, but across the web.
Ghostery is a browser add-on that promises to anonymise your data online through a host of anti-tracking measures. Of course, your browser most likely also provides a number of facilities for preventing tracking. This could be counterintuitive if you’re a Google Chrome user, but Firefox, from the non-profit Mozilla is a solid browser choice for those with deep-rooted privacy concerns.
Of course, another now widely used solution is a VPN. These services are designed to tunnel your internet traffic through a remote, and crucially, anonymous network. There’s a number of such services available, each offering a varying level of privacy protection. However, our all-round top choice is ExpressVPN.
Of course, even after imposing restrictions on how Google uses your data and you’re still not comfortable, there’s only really one option. The nuclear option.
Deleting your Google account and stopping your use of their services will undoubtedly be something of a hinderance, but it’s the only way to ensure the tech giant has no control over your privacy. You can manage your account through your Google Dashboard, where you’ll be able to download any data that Google stores about you, before finally deleting your account.
Cutting off all ties to Google may seem a little extreme, but there is alternatives. DuckDuckGo is a favourite option amongst searchers who don’t wish to be tracked. And if you’re still looking to take advantage of Google’s power, but without the tracking, StartPage claims to offer just that.
Meta Description: Google, much like other Silicon Valley tech giants has come under increasing pressure because of how it uses your data. So how can you take back control of your data from Google?
