Google has a lot of data on you. And if you’re not careful, it could use that data to track your movements and activities online. To protect your search history, you can use tools like Google Keep and Google Sheets to store your search results and other important information in separate files. You can also encrypt your search history using the Google Drive app. If you don’t have any control over your search history, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks that could come with using it. Here are some tips to help keep your search history safe:
It’s no secret that Google tracks your activity in its products, but you have some control over your information. This data can be automatically wiped clean, and it can be put behind a password to protect it from prying eyes.
Your Google activity can be accessed at activity.google.com. This is where everything you do with Google products is recorded—unless you turn off tracking. Google Searches, Google Assistant commands, Google Maps locations, YouTube history—it’s all here.
That’s obviously a lot of very personal information, and it’s easily accessible to anyone who visits the page on a device where you’re signed in to your Google account. Thankfully, it can be password protected.
RELATED: How to See What Data Google Has on You (and Delete It)
To get started, go to the activity.google.com page in a web browser such as Google Chrome. Make sure that you’re signed in to your Google account.
Next, click “Manage My Activity Verification.”
A pop-up message will appear with two options. Select “Require Extra Verification” and click “Save.”
You’ll be asked to sign in to your Google account again to verify that it’s you.
That’s all there is to it. You’ll now notice that the information on the page has been hidden. You or anyone else who accesses the page must click the “Verify” button to see anything.
The Google account login page will appear again, and if your password and two-factor authentication are entered correctly, your activity and Google search history will be revealed.
This sounds like a nice security method, but there’s one big flaw in this system that you should be aware of. If your browser has saved your Google account password (or if you’re using a password manager), it will autofill it for you and whoever tries to access your activity.
As such, the “Verify” step doesn’t do much if your browser is going to give the person your password. It’s something to keep in mind.
To disable this feature, simply go back to the “Manage My Activity Verification” settings page, select “Don’t Require Extra Verification,” and click “Save.” This is not enabled by default, so you’ll only have to turn it off if you previously enabled it.
RELATED: How to Make Google Auto-Delete Your Web and Location History
