There is no doubt that Google is eager to track you online and everything inside its apps, but it is also appropriate to say that the company holds a wide set of security and privacy tools at the disposal of its users. You can use these tools to manage data in everything from Google Map to YouTube.
And there are lots of data to manage: Gmail, Gemini, Android, Chrome, and all other apps and services that run it, Google can suck a large amount of information about you and what you are doing. It is important to ensure that this data is being managed in a way, with which you are comfortable, and is protected from unauthorized access.
All these security and privacy settings can be found under the title Your Google Account Page On the web, in a desktop browser.
Wiping data automatically Google Storing
If you click Data and securities And then Web and app activityYou can see that Google can see the bulk of the data you caught. In this, in a lot of categories, from the discoveries discovered on the web, in the films you have seen, and you can remove the information of any of these bits, either personally or in batches based on the date or app.
Even better, you can automatically wipe this data after a fixed period of time. Click Choose an auto-delete optionAnd you can erase some of your or all data after 3, 18 or 36 months. These categories also have the option to completely close the data collection, or only some types of information are automatically erased.
Set recovery information
Make sure your account recovery details are updated.
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Let us hope that you will never be closed from your account, but if you do, Google will try and use your registered recovery phone number and email address to verify your identity and restore your reach – so you need to ensure that this information is up -tomed. To do this, click Security And then Recovery phone Or Recovery email To enter or edit details.
Customize advertisements you view
It is difficult to get away from Google advertisements, but you can at least bend advertisements you see. From Data and privacychoose My advertising center To start changing. The first setting that you can change is to completely close individual advertisements that will not reduce the number of advertisements you view, but it would mean that they are not particularly targeted on your demographic.
To make more granular twics, click on any categories listed (eg) Education Or Industry) To disable personal advertisements or to accept you about you (eg status of your relationship). You are also able to click Customize advertisement To replace advertising subjects you shown, and to disable advertisements for sensitive subjects such as weight loss or gambling.
Enable Dark Web Report
Google can place a tab on the dark web for you.
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Do you know that Google can warn you whether your information leaked on the dark web? Which gives you a head that you need to change or take your password Additional precautionsFrom Security Tab inside your Google account, click Start monitoring Under Dark web reportThen you can specify the information you want to look out of Google.
Manage to share location
From Data and privacy The screen, you can manage how Google tracks its location over time, and also manages that other people can see your location. Click Time To configure how your location on specific equipment is saved, you can close this history completely, or is automatically erased after a certain time.
choose Share Under Data and privacy To see which contacts are sharing your location with you, and vice versa (if it is something you have set). You can stop sharing your place with any of these people at any time, as well as set email reminder which reminds you from time to time that you have got this facility.
What do you think so far?
Check connected equipment
Discise the devices you are no longer use.
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This is a good check to run regularly: from SecurityClick Manage all equipment You have been signed in your Google account to see everywhere. If there are old equipment that you have forgotten, or other people are using your account. You can cancel permissions. If you see a device you don’t recognize then you can also get help.
Install a digital heritage plan
It is important to make some plans when being unavoidable – if only to make life easier for family and friends that you leave behind. Google lets you choose what happens to your data, which is known as a digital ligament plan for your account.
If you click Data and privacy And then Make a plan for your digital heritageYou can set it. This is not a particularly complex or time -taking process: you just choose that you want to reach your data after a certain period (three to 18 months), and what data you are available in categories.
Cancel access for third-party apps
You may be surprised how many apps are connected to your Google account
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Connecting with apps and services with your Google account is quick and convenient, but the more connection you have, the more you highlight your account. Click and remove old and unnecessary links for third party apps Security And then See all connections,
Turn on two-factor authentication
We have said that this is many times in the past, and we will keep saying: Two-factor authentication (2fa) is one of the best ways to protect your accounts, because it means that hackers require more than user name and password to get hackers on your data. Usually, a code is also required from an authentic app when you are logging on to a new device.
To set 2FA on your Google account, if it is not already, click Security Then 2-step verification And follow the instructions on the screen. You get an alternative to 2FA methods, which you can use in addition to an authentic app, including the confirmation signals sent to the authorized devices (such as your phone) and using a physical security key to log in.
