Google gets a lot of flak for not respecting user privacy. However, your Google account does come with a comprehensive privacy dashboard that most people simply never check.
Is Google’s Privacy Dashboard Any Good?
Your Google privacy dashboard is tucked away under theData and privacysection of yourGoogle account settings. It’s a collection of privacy settings to control the data saved in your account, ads you see, and the information you share with others, including third-party apps.
There’s a surprising amount of control you get over your Google account here. You can disable some of Google’s more invasive tracking features, remove third-party apps connected to your Google account, control personalized ads that you see, control how others see your information, get a summary of your services and data, and even delete a Google service that you no longer use.
The UI doesn’t make it super easy to quickly set up your account to prevent Google from snooping. But to its credit, the dashboard is clearly laid out with distinct sections and easy-to-understand explanations about what each setting does. Your data and privacy options are divided into the following four categories:
So, Google’s privacy dashboard is pretty good considering the amount of control you get. However, it’s buried under several clicks and not front-and-center as it should be. This means that unless you dig around in your Google account settings, you’re unlikely to encounter it.
What Data Can You Control From Google’s Privacy Dashboard?
Now, we’re talking Google, so “control your data” should be taken with a pinch of salt, but the dashboard does have some useful information and bits you can toggle.
Things You’ve Done and Places You’ve Been
This section includes options for history, ads, and personalization. History settings include web and app activity, timeline, and YouTube history tracking. You can also control the info that’s used for ads or disable personalized ads and search results entirely. Last but not least, you can also see and manage saved Google Fit data and change privacy settings for connected services and devices.
One of the most revealing sections you’ll see here isMy Activity. It provides a chronological record of just about everything you can do with your Google account. Some of the most impactful settings are under theHistory settingssubsection. These include:
The level of detail here can be a little unsettling, and in case someone gains access to your Google account, they can see all this data. TheTimelinefeature alone can provide a day-by-day breakdown of your location, and even provide photos if you used Google Photos at a particular location.
The Shocking Amount of Info Google Knows About You (and How to Get Rid of It)
Find out what Google’s logged about you, then learn how to scrub it clean.
Thankfully, it’s quite simple to pause activity tracking, disable location history, delete recorded data, and even set up auto-delete to erase your data every three, 18, or 36 months.
Info That You Can Share With Others
Personal information that you save in your Google account, like your birthday, email address, phone number, and more, is private for you, but you can make some of it visible to others on Google services. Sometimes Google might show some of your information publicly even without explicit consent, and this section lets you control what information is publicly visible.
There are two major settings here:
Apart from these settings, you’ll also see other relevant options such as payment methods, active subscriptions, devices connected to your Google account, and saved contacts.
Data From Apps and Services That You Use
This is another important section that tracks your content and preferences related to Google and third-party apps and services you may be using. Major sections include:
More Options
This section provides two major settings: the ability to plan what happens to your data when your account becomes inactive, and the option to delete your Google account and data entirely. Settings in this section include:
Overall, Google has done an admirable job of breaking down complex privacy settings and presenting them in a manner that’s easy for the average user to understand. The only problem, as mentioned before, is that the privacy dashboard isn’t the easiest page to find among a myriad of other settings and rather complicated menus.
Here’s What Happens if You Lose Your Google Account—and How to Prepare for It
For most folks, losing access to a Google Account would be a devastating experience.
Regardless, once you know where it is, it becomes much easier to locate and adjust the settings quickly. With full control over your Google account and all its related data, you can now rest easy once all the right settings for you are in place.
