Google Tracks You 24 Hours a Day: Here's How to Stop It

The Mountain View-based technology giant’s services have become an inseparable part of daily life. From searching for information via Google Search, navigating traffic with Google Maps, to finding entertainment on YouTube, the majority of internet users find it nearly impossible to escape the ecosystem. However, behind this seamless digital convenience lies a cost borne by the user: privacy. Without many realising it, Google records and monitors almost every move its users make in real-time, 24 hours a day. This includes the physical locations visited, browser search histories, YouTube content watched, and daily app preferences. Google maintains that this massive data collection is carried out solely to provide a more personal and relevant user experience. Nevertheless, for some, this level of surveillance is considered an intrusion of privacy boundaries. For those who feel uncomfortable being constantly ‘watched’, decisive steps can be taken to limit or stop Google’s data tracking. Here is a step-by-step guide to disabling tracking features on your Google account: 1. Turn off Location History: Google precisely records your location trail, even when map applications are not in use. Open a browser and go to myaccount.google.com. Select the ‘Data & Privacy’ tab. Scroll down to find the ‘History Settings’ section. Click on ‘Location History’, then select ‘Turn off’. 2. Stop Web & App Activity Monitoring: All Google Search queries, sites visited via Chrome, and Android app activity are neatly stored on Google’s servers. While still in the ‘Data & Privacy’ menu, click on ‘Web & App Activity’. Select ‘Turn off’ to stop daily activity monitoring. 3. Stop YouTube History Recording: The strikingly accurate YouTube video recommendations are not a coincidence. They occur because every second of video you watch is meticulously recorded. On the ‘Data & Privacy’ page, select ‘YouTube History’. Click ‘Turn off’ to stop the recording of watch history and video searches. 4. Limit Personalised Ads: Daily activity data is often used by Google to serve ads that ‘stick’ according to your preferences. If you find this intrusive, go to the ‘Data & Privacy’ menu in your Google account. Find the ‘My Ad Center’ section. Toggle the ‘Personalised Ads’ switch to ‘Off’.