Google Apparently Tracks You 24/7, Here's How to Stop It

Many internet users are unaware that their activities while using Google services are constantly recorded. From search engine queries and watched videos to visited locations, all can become part of the data the company collects. This information is then used by Google to build user profiles based on daily habits, interests, and activities. These profiles are used to make services more personal, as well as to display advertisements deemed most relevant. However, users actually have the control to limit this tracking process. Google provides settings that allow search and app usage activity to no longer be saved automatically. Here is how to stop Google from collecting user data: Open the Google.com page via a desktop or mobile browser. Sign in to your Google account. Select the ‘Manage your Google Account’ menu. Go to ‘Privacy & Personalization’, then select ‘Manage your Data & Personalization’. Scroll down to find ‘Activity Controls’, then select ‘Manage your Activity Controls’. In the ‘Web & App Activity’ section, slide the toggle to the off position. After a confirmation appears, select ‘Pause’ to stop activity from being saved. It should be noted that after this feature is turned off, the advertisements that appear may no longer match the user’s interests. The experience of using various Google services will also become less personalised. Additionally, disabling tracking does not automatically delete previously stored data. The setting only prevents Google from collecting new activity in the future. Google collects various user information through services such as Gmail, Google Search, and Android devices. This data is used to understand user preferences and improve services. The types of data Google collects include: name, gender, and date of birth; phone number; Google search history; websites visited; user interests, ranging from sports to favourite foods and drinks; place of work; home address; and videos watched. Users can also see what data is stored in each Google service via the account settings page. To find out the categories of ads personalised by Google, sign in to your Google account and select ‘Manage Ads Settings’. That page displays information such as age, gender, and ad topics estimated to match the user’s interests, including a list of previously blocked ads. User location history can also be stored via the Google Location History feature connected to Google Maps, where users can see previously visited locations. Google also stores user activity on YouTube, including search history and watched videos. This information can be viewed through the Search and YouTube Watch History menus. Besides turning off tracking, users can also reduce their digital footprint by deleting browser search history. In Google Chrome, open Settings, select Privacy & Security, then click Clear browsing data, choose the time range to delete, and press Clear data. In Mozilla Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll to Cookies & Site Data, where users can delete all data or set Firefox to automatically clear browsing data each time the browser is closed. In Safari, go to Clear History, select the time period to delete, and press Clear History. In Microsoft Edge, click the three-dot icon in the top right corner, go to Settings > Privacy, select Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear, select the data types to delete, and press Clear Now. In Opera, go to Settings, open the Privacy & Security menu, select Browsing data, click Clear, specify the data types and time range to delete, and then click Clear Data.