Millions of people use the search engine giant’s products and services every day, like Gmail, YouTube, and, of course, the all-powerful Google search. Read this article to know how to protect your privacy when using Google?
How to protect your privacy when using Google?
Even though Google is convenient, the company has been criticized in recent years for how it handles user data. In 2018, it was found out that Google had been collecting location information from Android users without their permission.
On its popular social network, Google+, the company was also accused of giving third-party developers too much access to user data.
Because of this, it’s important to know how to keep your privacy safe when using Google products and services.
Here are some suggestions to help you get started:
Don’t link your real name to your Google account
If you don’t want Google to know too much about you, you can protect your privacy by making a Google account that isn’t linked to your real name.
So, you can sign up for products and services like Gmail and YouTube under a fake name.
Sign up for a Gmail account with a made-up name to do this.
Once you’ve done this, you can make a YouTube channel with the same name.
Keep in mind, though, that you won’t be able to comment on YouTube videos with your Gmail account.
Stop your devices from tracking where you are
As we already said, Google has been known to track users’ locations without their permission.
You can turn off location tracking on your devices if you don’t want Google to know where you are.
Go to Settings > Security and location > Location > Google Location Accuracy on an Android device.
From here, you can stop all apps from tracking your location or stop some apps from tracking your location.
Go to Settings, then Privacy, and then Location Services on an iPhone or iPad.
From here, you can stop location tracking for all apps or just certain ones.
Use a VPN
Using a VPN, or virtual private network, is another way to protect your privacy when using Google products and services.
A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your internet traffic and sends it through a server in a place you choose.
This makes it hard for anyone to see what you are doing online or keep track of what you are doing.
Read more about VPNs in this article.
Watch what you look for
Google sells ads, which is one of the main ways it makes money.
The company does this by finding out what its users are interested in and then sending them ads that are relevant to them.
If you’re worried that Google knows too much about you, you should be careful about what you search for online.
Don’t look for information that you wouldn’t want other people to know, like your health or political views.
Switch to private mode
Your browsing history is automatically saved when you use a web browser like Google Chrome.
This means that anyone who has access to your computer can see the websites you’ve been to.
If you want to protect your privacy, you can use private browsing mode, which is also called “incognito mode.”
When you use private browsing mode, your history is not saved and cookies are deleted when you close your browser.
To use private browsing mode in Google Chrome, click the three dots in the upper right corner of the browser and then click “New Incognito Window.”
Wipe out your history of web searches
If you don’t want Google to keep track of what sites you visit, you can delete it at any time.
Go to your Google account and click on “Data & Personalization” to do this.
Scroll down until you see “Activity controls,” then click “Web & App Activity.”
Then, click on “Delete activity by” and choose the time period you want to delete.
Don’t let ads be tailored to you
As we’ve already said, Google uses what you like to show you ads that are relevant to you.
You can opt out of ad personalization if you don’t want to see ads that are made just for you.
Go to your Google account and click on “Data & Personalization” to do this.
Here, scroll down to the section called “Ad personalization,” and turn the “Ad personalization” switch off.
Download your data
Google knows a lot about you, such as what you search for, what websites you visit, and where you are.
You can download your data to see what information Google has about you.
Go to your Google account and click on “Data & Personalization” to do this.
Then, scroll down to the section that says “Download, delete, or make a plan for your data,” and click on “Download your data.”
Get rid of your profile
You can delete your account if you really care about your privacy and don’t want Google to know anything about you.
Keep in mind, though, that this will delete everything Google knows about you, including your Gmail messages, YouTube videos, and search history.
Go to your Google account and click “Data & personalization” to delete your account.
Then, scroll down to the “Download, delete, or make a plan for your data” section and click on “Delete a service or your account.”
Google makes it easy to look for information and stay in touch with people. By using the tips in this article, you can help keep your information safe and secure.