Most of us couldn’t imagine a world without Google. What began as a simple search engine has become firmly embedded in our lives through its numerous services. No matter what question you have, Google always seems to have an answer. But you’ve probably found yourself thinking on more than one occasion: “What does Google know about me?” Read on to learn what information Google stores about you and how you can limit what it keeps. Also discover how Avira Phantom VPN helps to further protect your privacy.
How does Google collect information about me?
Google collects information about its users in various ways. Some are obvious and some less so. The key ways include through:
- Browser data: Chrome is a very popular internet browser. It’s always collecting information about your surfing behavior by tracking the websites you visit, when and for how long, and which files you download.
- Search queries: Every single query in Google search is saved. In addition, Google tracks which search results you click and how long you spend on those pages.
- Location data: By using Google Maps, the company always knows where you are in the world at any given moment. Even if you disable GPS, Google can still determine your rough location based on IP addresses and Wi-Fi signals.
- YouTube: Google acquired the world’s leading video platform YouTube in October 2006 for over a billion US dollars. Google knows which videos you watch on YouTube and suggests new content based on that.
- Apps: On Android smartphones, Google analyzes exactly which apps you interact with and for how long. Your usage and behavior patterns are collected, analyzed, and used to improve products and services as well as to show you ads that are more relevant to you.
- Gmail: Google offers its own email solution for its users in the form of Gmail. To move messages to spam, Google has to scan every email. The personal data collected is not used officially for advertising purposes, but it is used to improve the service.
- AdSense: Google AdSense is a Google product. This advertising service can be used to display ads on websites and apps not owned by Google. Through this, Google also collects information about its users — even if they don’t use Chrome. The technologies for data collection and personalization are similar to those used by browser fingerprinting.
- Google Assistant: Google’s smart assistant understands and processes written and spoken commands and requests.
Vast amounts of data: What does Google know about me?
It’s common knowledge that Google collects a lot of data. Users of Google as a search engine and all of the company’s apps and services reveal vast amounts about themselves. Nobody can say exactly what data is collected in detail as no official information exists. However, Google allows its users to view a lot of information and manage this data.
One very common question people have about Google is “What does Google know about me?” But perhaps the question we should all be asking is: “What doesn’t Google know about me?” If you’re a regular user of Google’s main services (search engine, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, etc.), Google has the following information about you:
- Your name, your age, and your phone number (Google account)
- Your home (Google Maps)
- What you look like (saved and tagged photos)
- Your voice (Google Assistant)
- Your physical activities (motion sensors and Google Maps)
- Your health (Google searches)
- Your favorite food (Google searches & photos)
- Your hobbies and interests (Google and YouTube searches)
- Where you work (Google Maps)
- Where your friends and family live (Google Maps)
- Every email address from friends, family, and work contacts (Gmail)
- Popular vacation and travel destinations
- All your passwords
Why does Google store this information?
Basically, Google wants to collect as much information as possible to personalize your user experience, display targeted ads, and optimize its own services.
Let’s take a deep dive into why Google stores your information:
- Personalized user experiences: Interests, browsing habits, and location data help Google display and suggest more relevant content.
- Optimization of services: User data and error logs are analyzed to improve and customize services.
- Targeted ads: The better the ads match the respective user, the more likely they are to click the ad. After all, Google earns more money with successful ads.
- Security: Google uses location data to detect potentially unauthorized access to an account or service.
- Market research: Google analyzes aggregated and anonymized usage data to understand current trends and adapt its own services and long-term strategies.
- Artificial intelligence (AI): Google uses AI to make its own services even more efficient. Google utilizes user data to improve its voice assistant and other services, such as translations and image search.
How can I see what Google knows about me?
It’s impossible to say exactly what Google knows about you. That said, you can get a rough idea by going to your Google account. To do so, log in to your account, click your profile icon, and then select the menu item Manage Your Google Account.
You’ll then see a dashboard with all your information and settings for your Google account. The key one to look out for is Data & privacy. Here you can see the information Google collects about you and how it’s used.
- Things you’ve done and places you’ve been → History settings: Discover and decide which activities and places to save. The data is used to show you personalized maps and recommendations.
- Personalized ads → My Ad Center: Here you can see in all its glory how Google uses your account for personalized ads. You’ll find out which topics are assigned to you. You can also turn off ad tracking.
- Google Maps → Timeline: Here you can see where you were on certain days and for how long. You can also discover how you traveled between different places and how long journeys took.
- Data from apps and services you use: Here you’ll see a breakdown of which content and settings you use on Google services and third-party apps.
- Linked Google services: Find out which services you’ve linked and whether (and how) they share your data with each other.
- Download or delete your data: You’ll find the Google Takeout option under “Download your data”. Here you can download a copy of all the content stored in your account. Tick the boxes to choose which data you want to export.
How can I restrict what Google stores about me?
Even though Google stores vast amounts of data about you, you can specifically limit which data Google saves. To do this, go to My Activity in your Google Account.
- Web & App Activity: Here you can get an overview of your activities on Google websites and apps. You can turn activity tracking on or off with a single click or choose an auto-delete option if you want.
- Timeline: Here you’ll see a breakdown of all the places you’ve visited with your devices. Here too, you can turn tracking on or off, or choose an auto-delete option.
- YouTube History: You’ll see an overview of what you searched for on the video platform and what videos you watched. Here you can also turn data storage on or off. Other options include:
- Include the YouTube videos you watch
- Include your searches on YouTube
- Include YouTube voice and audio activity
- Personalized ads: Here you can control the info used for ads that are personalized to your surfing and usage behavior.
Tip: If you want to temporarily prevent information about you from being stored while surfing, switch to incognito mode in your browser.
How do I remove information stored about me from Google?
If you want to go further than simply restricting the storage of new data about you, but also delete existing data, we’ll show you how. As mentioned already, go to My Activity, then select Web & App Activity followed by Manage all Web & App Activity and click Delete. Now select a date range: Last hour, last day, all time, or custom range. You can also choose an auto-delete option.
If you use Chrome as your internet browser, open the more settings menu by clicking the three vertical dots. Under Settings > Privacy and security you can clear the cache and clean your browser cookies.
If you want to delete your Google Maps location history, open Your timeline via your profile icon in the Google Maps app, tap the three horizontal buttons, and select Location and privacy settings. Tap Delete all Timeline data to remove all visits and routes.
How to protect your privacy with Avira Phantom VPN
The many settings in your Google account allow you to strengthen the protection of your private data for various services and apps. But Google isn’t the only company that stores and tracks your data. If you want to surf more anonymously and, especially on public hotspots, more securely, Avira Phantom VPN will help you protect your data.
Whereas Avira Free Security protects you from spyware and malware, with our VPN tool you can conceal your tracks and current location from others. Encrypted data traffic makes it significantly more difficult for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to your internet-enabled devices. Additionally, Avira Phantom VPN helps you access your regular websites and media content when traveling or when abroad.
Google is a trademark of Google LLC.
