How do you know what Google knows about you?

Recently, Google has spoken openly about what kind of data it collects about the behavior of the network visitors. Search engine Google as of April 2016 was used as a search engine by default 89.4 percent of Internet users. Now, visitors can use a new widget called My Activity, with which they can learn their Internet history, including every perfect action, every visited site and every activity that was involved.

Finding your trail in the network

Regardless of which web browser you use, if you use Google search, you will be able to find your online trail, and each of its elements can be deleted at your desire.

Target Ads

Google collects information about its users for a number of reasons, but the most obvious one is to offer users individual ads when they explore the network. However, all the marketing power does not end with the fact that every user is shown ads matched to his taste - this data is also sent to third parties, shops and companies that cooperate with Google. At the moment, according to some sources, there are more than two million such sites.

What gives you a widget?

The My Activity widget allows you to choose whether you want to be the subject of this targeting marketing mechanism. It is very important to note also that, unlike most other companies that can offer you only to refuse to participate in their program, this service asks you if you want to take part, and not put before the fact from which you can Only to refuse, although they did not agree to it. If you do not decide to manually activate this behavioral information system, you will not receive such targeted ads.

Golden mean

To find the middle ground, this service offers users to agree to participate in the marketing campaign, but at the same time gives them the opportunity to disable those advertising messages that seem uninteresting or intrusive. This sounds great for those people who feel that annoying ads are following them on a daily basis throughout the network, from site to site, and after they left the Google search page.

Accessing the widget

Not every user can get instant access to the My Activity widget, but all of them will be notified at a time when they can fine-tune the conditions of their pastime on the network.

Does voice search record conversations?

In fact, in its history, Google has more than once given users access to the data that it collects. One of the most significant cases of "transparency" is dated to the beginning of this month, when it became known that Google's voice search records and keeps conversations that people conduct while being close to their smartphones. The voice search function allows the user to search for information in Google using voice prompts, and the company reported that the recording of conversations served to improve the functionality of the software responsible for voice recognition.

Portal with records

On a dedicated portal dedicated to these audio recordings, you can search across all of the sound recordings that you created (from June 2015) using the Google search engine or using the application. Sometimes you can also access text transcriptions of what you have ever asked the system. The main reason you should visit this page is to find and delete records. This can be done manually by anyone who owns the account on Google.