Everything Google Knows About You — And It’s Terrifying

GOOGLE knows more about you than you probably think.

There’s an easy way to check what Google has learned about you—as well as the uncanny guesses about what you like.

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What does Google know about me?

Google can find out so much about who you are and what you do.

Some of this is simply what you tell him: you may have given your name, age, and date of birth.

Your activity on its platforms will also provide information.

For example, Google may collect data from your search queries, the YouTube videos you watch and the apps you download.

Much of this information is stored in your Google dashboard.

Some of this information is only intended for you.

Other bits are used to make Google apps better — like knowing you must provide your home and work addresses Google Maps commuting advice.

But Google also creates an advertising profile about you to personalize the advertising you see.

In a way, that’s a good thing: you see ads that are more relevant.

However, it is also the result of data collection – so privacy-conscious people might want to opt out of personalized ads.

You can see the ad profile that Google created for you here.

Some of it will be spot on – and probably scare you because of it – but it’s likely that Google made a few mistakes along the way, too.

In any case, if you are concerned about this, you can opt out of personalized advertising with a single click.

Here’s how to find out what Google knows about you

To see the data that Google has collected about you, you must first open your Google account by clicking on your profile picture.

Then select “Manage your Google account”.

Then click on “Data & Personalization”.

Here you can browse through your past online activities.

Includes “YouTube play and search history” and a “Maps timeline”.

If you scroll further down the page, you will see an option to download or delete your data.

Google explains the steps you need to take in Get a summary of the data in your Google Account. site.

And you can review your ad personalization here.

How to prevent Google from storing your activities

It is possible to prevent Google from storing so much information in the future.

Go back to “Data & Privacy”, “My Activity” and under “Web & App Activity” you should see a blue switch.

Turn it off.

You can also turn off your “Location History” and “YouTube History”.

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