How to access everything Google knows about you

Accessing the information that Google knows about you is simpler than it looks. The company itself offers a tool to view and control this data. According to the company, the content used to serve relevant advertisements to each user, as a way to finance the free services offered.

Items such as searches made, videos watched, websites visited, as well as apps, browsers and devices used to access Google services can be collected.

In addition, users themselves spontaneously provide information about themselves. This happens when registering an account or while browsing logged in. Among this data are emails written and received in Gmail, photos and videos saved, your comments on YouTube, contacts added and Google Calendar events.

AppGeek teaches you how to find all the data that Google knows about you through your mobile phone and PC. Also learn how to define what information the company will have access to and download the report that converts the company's records on its user profile.

How to see what Google knows about you on mobile

1. V at option To set up your Android phone;

2. Scroll down the menu that opens and tap Google;

what google knows about you

3. Then, go to Google account;

4. Access the tab Data and Customizations;

5. No card Review your privacy options, touch First steps;

what google knows about you

6. Then there will be a list of tools through which Google collects your data. They are: Web and app activity, Location history, Device information, Voice and audio activity, YouTube search history and YouTube Watch History;

7. To find out about Google’s records for each topic, go to Manage activity, located at the end of each card. Then, available data will be displayed.

How to see what Google knows about you on the PC

1. Open your internet browser and access the Google Privacy Check-up page;

2. If your Google account is not connected, go to Login to get started and enter your access data;

3. If you are already logged in, go to Get started now;

What Google knows about you

4. A list of tools will be displayed through which Google collects your data. They are: Web and app activity, Location history, Device information, Voice and audio activity, YouTube search history and YouTube Watch History;

5. To find out about Google’s records for each topic, click Manage activity, located at the end of each card.

What Google knows about you

How to control data saved by Google

The information that Google has about its users is divided into categories. Each of them corresponds to different services offered by the company and it is possible to specify which one you want to allow for data to be saved or not.

To pause the registration authorization, just follow the step-by-step above (for both mobile and PC) and, within the page of each category, go to Change Configuration.

Below, we explain what types of content are saved by the company and how to act to effect the block in each category.

Web and app activity

In this section are the user's activity records while surfing the internet. According to Google, the following data is captured, even when offline:

  • research and other activities carried out on the company's products, such as Drive or Maps;
  • location, language, IP address, referrer, as well as browser or apps used;
  • ads clicked or items purchased from an advertiser;
  • data about your device, such as applications or contact names searched.

If you no longer want the company to save this information, access the Web and App Activity Control page and disable the option key. Confirm the decision at Pause.

Location history

It is not necessary to be using Google Maps for the company to record the places where users frequent. The company creates a map with all the places that are visited with the smartphone connected to the Google account.

When checking your location history, you can filter the regions you've been in for years, months or days. In addition, the most frequented places are also highlighted. According to the company, this map can only be viewed by the person himself.

What Google knows about you

If you no longer want to have your steps monitored, just access the Activity Control page of the Location History and disable the corresponding key. Then confirm your choice at Pause.

Attention: If settings such as Web and App Activity are enabled, it is possible that they will continue to save location data. According to the company, this information can be recorded due to searches made on the web and on Google Maps.

Device information

Google saves a copy of data from your mobile device, such as contacts, alarms, calendar, applications and music. Information about the device is also saved, such as battery level, quality of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and error reports.

To disable the storage of this data from your cell phone or tablet, turn off the key for the option on the Device Information Activity Control page. Complete the process in To save.

YouTube search history

As well as searches made on the web, Google also saves searches performed on YouTube, a video platform that belongs to the company.

To prevent the company from saving this type of information, go to the service's search history page and click Clear search history. If you want to delete the previous records, see also Pause Search History.

What Google knows about you

J in the mobile app, just follow the path: cone with your profile image Settings History and privacy activate the option Pause search history.

To delete past searches, go to the account with your profile image Settings History and privacy Clear search history.

YouTube Watch History

Videos watched on YouTube are also saved. According to the company, this history helps to create content specifically indicated for the profile of each user. But, if you still want to disable the option, go to the Activity Controls page of the YouTube Viewing History, turn off the corresponding key and confirm at Pause.

How to download the data Google keeps about you

Google offers the possibility to download saved personal information. These data can be used to backup or use in non-company services.

To perform the procedure, you must be logged in to your account.

1. Access the Google data download page;

2. All the company's products are listed. If you do not want any or some to be downloaded, just uncheck the corresponding box;

What Google knows about you

3. Scroll to the bottom and click Next step;

4. In Shipping method, you can choose how to receive the content to be downloaded. The user can choose between Send download link by email, Add to Google Drive, Add to Dropbox, Add to OneDrive or Add to Box;

What Google knows about you

5. Then choose the file format between .zip (most common) or .tgz;

6. So, select the file size between 1GB and 50GB. If the content is greater than specified, it will be divided into several files with the size defined by the user;

  • The company recommends that the user choose between 1GB and 2GB. That's because .zip files larger than 2GB are compressed in .zip64 format, which may not be compatible with older operating systems.

7. Confirm your options at Create file;

8. The time to complete the process will take from minutes to hours, depending on the number of applications chosen to save the data.

Why allow Google to save my data?

According to the company, when your account information is saved, the tools become more user-friendly and useful. For example, voice captures are used to improve speech recognition and better understand the user.

According to recorded searches or visited websites, according to Google, they provide a faster search experience and smarter performance on platforms such as the Assistant and Maps. In addition, ads and suggested content are personalized, according to what the company believes to be your preferences.

It is up to the user to decide whether these benefits indicated are advantageous or not, to the point that the company has access to a series of information about his life that is not only virtual, but also real.

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