It's widely known and recognized that if you use any products like Chrome, Android, Gmail, YouTube, etc., Google goes to great lengths to track you and everything you do. Why Google does that is another story, but let's see some quick things you can do right now to be less tracked.
Youtube - Stop storing your history
When you watch YouTube content on your computer, tablet or phone, everything you watch or look for is tracked and associated with your Google account. You can stop your history from being stored. Here's how:
- Login to your Google account, and go to "Home."
- Select "Data & Personalization"
- Select "Manage your activity controls"
- Uncheck all the boxes in "YouTube History"
Search - Stop storing your search history
Searching things on Google seems innocent, but have you ever wondered about how online ads start popping up about stuff you've searched for? You can stop your Google search history from being stored too! Here's how:
- Login to your Google account, and go to "Home."
- Select "Data & Personalization"
- Select "Manage your activity controls"
- Uncheck all the boxes in "Web & App Activity"
Location - Stop storing your location history
By default your Android phone or device tracks and reports your location based on real-time GPS location. Every once in a while you'll get an alert from Google showing you where you've been, when, and the routes you took. Creepy? We think so, but you can stop that information from being stored as well. Here's how:
- Login to your Google account, and go to "Home."
- Select "Data & Personalization"
- Select "Manage your activity controls"
- Uncheck all the boxes in "Location History"
We live in a time when companies make money from your interactions online, even if it's something as innocent as searching for baby beds or planning a vacation. All of this is towards building a profile about who you are, what you like, things you do, and so on.
These small steps won't completely stop companies from being able to track you (see our Blog about the Dark Truth about Wi-Fi), but it will reduce your footprint on what marketing companies and search engines know and store about you!
Want to know more tips and tricks about online safety? Contact us at https://www.firestormcyber.com/contact
