Google Apparently Tracks You 24/7, Here's How to Stop It
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Many internet users are unaware that their activity while using Google services is continuously recorded. Everything from searches on the search engine, videos watched, to locations visited can form part of the data collected by the company.
That information is then used by Google to build a user profile based on habits, interests and daily activities. This profile is used to make services more personal, as well as to display advertisements deemed most relevant.
Even so, users do have the ability to limit this tracking process. Google provides settings that allow search activity and app usage to no longer be stored automatically.
Here is how to stop Google from collecting user data, as quoted from CNET on Sunday (19/7/2026):
Open Google.com via a browser on desktop or mobile.
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 until you find Activity Controls, then select Manage your Activity Controls.
Under Web & App Activity, slide the toggle until it is deactivated.
Once the confirmation appears, select Pause to stop activity storage.
It should be noted that after this feature is turned off, the advertisements displayed may no longer match the user’s interests. The experience of using various Google services will also become less personalised.
In addition, deactivating tracking does not automatically delete previously stored data. The setting only prevents Google from collecting new activity in the future.
Data Collected by Google
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.
Here are some of the types of data Google collects, as quoted from CNBC International:
Name, gender and date of birth.
Telephone number.
Google search history.
Websites visited.
User interests, ranging from sports to favourite foods and drinks.
Place of work.
Home address.
Videos watched.
Users can also see what data is stored in each of their Google services via the account settings page.
Types of Advertisements of Interest
To find out which advertisement categories have been personalised by Google, sign in to your Google account and select Manage Ads Settings. This page displays information such as age and gender, as well as advertisement topics estimated to match the user’s interests, including a list of previously blocked adverts.
Places Previously Visited
A user’s location history can also be stored through the Google Location History feature, which is connected to Google Maps. There, users can see the places they have visited.
YouTube Activity
Google also stores user activity on YouTube, including search history and videos watched. This information can be viewed via the Search and YouTube Watch History menus.
Deleting Internet History
In addition to turning off tracking, users can also reduce their digital footprint by deleting their browsing history in their browser.
Here is how:
- Google Chrome
Open the Settings menu, select Privacy & Security, then click Clear browsing data.
Choose the time range you wish to delete, then press Clear data.
- Mozilla Firefox
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security, then scroll to the Cookies & Site Data section.
Users can delete all data or set Firefox to automatically delete browsing data each time the browser is closed.
- Safari
Go to the Clear History menu, select the time period you wish to delete, then press Clear History.
- Microsoft Edge
Click the three-dot icon in the top right corner, go to Settings > Privacy, then select Clear browsing data and click Choose what to clear.
Select the types of data you wish to delete, then press Clear Now.
- Opera
Go to Settings, open the Privacy & Security menu, then select Browsing data.
Next, click Clear, specify the types of data and time range you wish to delete, then select Clear Data.