14 DAY TRIAL // Google is finally going to offer its users the option to autodelete the search and location history after three months of usage.
In case you don’t already know this, Google saves all of your search and location history by default and keeps it forever. It’s a large data set that can be used to train AIs, for example, or to sell to third parties.
The good news is that users can choose to delete this data manually, and please keep in mind that it’s collecting from all Google-owned services, like YouTube and Maps. But users can’t do anything about the feature, which means that once you delete this data, Google starts collecting it again. It shouldn’t be the user’s burden to keep deleting it.
Delete after three months if better than nothing
According to a BBC report, Google is promising that, in the coming weeks, a tool that allows users to choose between deleting the data manually, deleting automatically after three months, and deleting after 18 months.
It’s a step forward for Google, which didn’t wait for a massive fine to implement something that should be available by default. Until this new tool is made available, users will only be able to pause this tracking.
It’s true however that some reports surfaced a few months back that stated Google was tracking people even if they paused the system, which was worrying, to say the least. It’s easy to see why such tracking would be in violation of laws from numerous countries.
This tool should alleviate some of the worries, but there is no telling if that data is actually erased. In any case, it’s also worth pointing out that the new tools will not impact the search history on YouTube or the commands issued to the Assistant and Google Home.
Google didn’t say how long if going to take until this new tool will be made available, just that it will take a few weeks.