Google now lets you protect your search history — here’s how

Google now lets you protect your search history — here's how

(Epitome credit: Shutterstock)

Google has simply introduced password protection to your "Web and Activity" log, which is the page that shows just about everything you've been doing online through Google services.

This is good news for privacy-conscious users as the activity page contains a treasure trove of user information, including YouTube viewing history and Google searches, amongst other meaty data deposits. Information technology'south besides accessible to any device where you've logged in with your Google account — in other words, very open to prying optics.

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Most of our digital lives rely on a Google device or product in some fashion or some other to navigate the spider web. Whether this comes from one of the all-time Android phones or from the Chrome browser, our activity is compiled and stashed away to review after through the My Action service page.

My Action doesn't just contain YouTube and search data, though: it too keeps a log of your daily app usage or anything you've browsed on Google Maps. Because all of this data is confidential, Google has created an extra layer of security to keep things strictly locked down.

Google Security — (Image credit: Google)

Showtime last week, when yous visit the 'My Activity' page (via 9to5Google), a small notification at present appears, maxim: "Safer with Google - Yous tin can add together more than security to My Activeness by turning on extra verification." This bubble points to a new department under "Google protects your privacy and security."

In this new section, you accept the selection to Manage or Dismiss within the bubble or click Manage My Action verification. From there, a separate pop-up window appears giving you the option to "Crave actress verification," which bolts on the new password-protect function.

Turning this in volition require anyone trying to access the My Activeness section to click on a Verify push and put in the right Google account password, before they're granted access to the treasure trove of user data.

According to Google, "if you plow on extra verification Google will make sure it'south really you earlier yous tin can see or delete your full history on My Activity. This can help keep your history safer on shared devices."

An of import caveat here is that the "setting just applies to My Activity," which is Google's style of basically saying that your history may still announced in other Google products. Then, beware.

Information technology's adept to run into Google finessing the smaller parts of its services, particularly when information technology comes to security measures. The new feature, of course, more widely echoes its drive to improve user security as highlighted at Google I/O 2021, alongside news from earlier this month of mandatory two-factor authentication to house up users' account security.

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Luke is a Trainee News Author at T3 and contributor to Tom's Guide, having graduated from the DMU/Channel 4 Journalism School with an MA in Investigative Journalism. Earlier switching careers, he worked for Mindshare WW. When not indoors messing around with gadgets, he'southward a disc golf game enthusiast, keen jogger, and fond of all things outdoors.