How to Stop Google from Storing Data
As we all know by now, Google collects data as you are searching the web. Every search that you do Google gathers bits of data about you to provide more relevant search results. The bad part about that, is it can also direct marketing ads to you based on your personal search criteria.
For example. Have you ever noticed that when you search for something, lets say ‘vitamins’ in Google. The next thing you know you are getting emailed ads about vitamins sales. Coincidence? I think not….read on.
If you are ok with this and don’t mind your data being stored by Google, then do nothing. If you do NOT like the idea of this, good news. There are settings in Google which allow you to turn OFF.
- Log into your Google Account
- On the upper left click on Data and Personalization
- There are many settings here but for now click on Web and App Activity>Manage Activity
- Pause here for a moment and look at what is on this page. Look familiar? You will see everything you have searched for on your phone or on Google.
- Click on Change Setting to pause storing activity by Google if that is your preference.
To automatically delete activity after a certain period of time:
- Go back to the previous page by following steps 1 and 2 above. Then click on Choose How Long to Keep
- Select your preference from 3 months to manually delete.
One final note. Don’t forget about using Incognito Mode every single time you open a Google tab! For more on this topic and other ways you can protect your personal data, see Online Security on our site.