Google now lets you change privacy settings in Search itself

Did you know that Google is stashing information about your Google searches? And even if you knew, did you know where to go to manage how Google does this, or turn it off completely?

Starting today, Google is making it easier to change privacy settings related to Search. 

To access the setting on mobile, open Google Search in a browser (while logged into a Google Account), touch the hamburger menu in the top left and then choose “Your data in Search.” This will lead you to a page where you can review your search activity, delete some or all of it, and manage how Google collects your web and app activity as well as voice searches.

On the web, the same page is accessed by clicking on “Settings” in the lower right corner of the page, and then, again, choose “Your data in Search.”

Google also made it a little easier to find privacy controls related to Search, like ad personalization settings (see below). 

If you have all these settings set to “on,” Google will collect data about you, including terms your search for, links you interact with and your location while searching. 

Until today, to change these settings you had to go to your Google Account and then wade through the multitude of options there. Realizing this is too complicated for most users, Google says it’ll expand this new approach to Maps and other Google products. 

“Having access to relevant and actionable privacy controls directly from the Google products you use every day is just one way that we are continuously working to build privacy that works for everyone,” the company said in a blog post. 

Google says it’s rolling out the new feature on mobile and desktop today; if you don’t see it yet, it should show up soon. A similar feature is coming to the Google app for iOS and Android in “the coming weeks.”