We all know that Google has become part of our daily lives from internet searchers, emails we send, or if you are using an Android, the phone calls you make. To be honest, Google probably knows more about each of us than our own mothers.
Here are seven things that you might not realize Google knows about you and how to remove them or change them.
Every Step You Take, Google Will Be Watching You
While Google Maps can make traveling in unknown locations a lot simpler, its GPS navigation might help you feel safe when traveling through unfamiliar streets in unfamiliar towns. But just like the song by The Police, “Every Breath You Take,” Google knows every move you make and every step you take because of the maps and the location data of your photos.
This may or may not be an issue for you but do know that a clever person could pinpoint exactly where you stood when you took that selfie.
Google Can See the Contents of All Your Emails
Google has access to the contents of your emails if you use Gmail, and you can't do much about it (short of deleting your Gmail account). However, you can tell Google not to use your Gmails to target you for ads. In short, you can tell Google not to scan your email to show you personalized ads.
Google Knows Your Approximate Age, Hobbies, and Interests
Yep, Google has a good guesstimate of your age based on the information they’ve collected about you.
If you are checking out the Google Ad Settings for your account, right below your age, and your favorite shopping sites, you will find what Google thinks it knows about your hobbies and interests.
Google Knows Your All the Sites You Visit and Your Favorite Shopping Sites
Google knows your search and browsing history if you are searching logged in or using Chrome as your main browser. The scariest part is that it is every website (even the accidental clicks)!
If you can call it, a silver lining is that “only you” and Google have access to that.
Google Knows Your Everything You Searched for on Google
Just like Google knows all the sites you have visited, they also know all the searches you performed.
Google Knows Your YouTube History
If I sound like a broken record, it isn’t intentional, but since YouTube is owned by Alphabet (Google’s parent company), they also have access and know your YouTube comments, your YouTube Community Post comments, your YouTube survey answers, and even your YouTube “Not Interested” feedback.
Google Knows Things You Do on the Websites You Visit
“Google doesn’t only collect data about you with their own browser, search engine, and other services, but also by tracking you on other websites,” according to a Ghostery spokeswoman. “Google is the largest operator of third-party tracking scripts,” according to a Ghostery and Cliqz analysis.
What to do about this
If you are tired of Google tracking you and knowing a bit too much about you, then you may want to look into what Google does know about you. You can check your activity by clicking this link which will take you to the My Activity settings and information, scroll down to see a timeline of your activity, and adjust the settings as you see fit.
