Big Tech companies make it their business to get close and personal with you. Google is an especially ardent admirer. It knows more than some of the people closest to you. Weird to think about, huh?
It goes far beyond where you live, your age, interests and favorite stores. We’ve got the goods on three lists showing some of the data Google collects.
1. A painfully accurate look at where you’ve been
Google Maps knows all the countries, cities and attractions you’ve visited. If you have Location History enabled on your Google account, take a trip down memory lane with the Google Maps Timeline.
This feature lets you see exactly where you traveled in the past, down to the specific time and route you took to get there.
How to check your Google Maps Timeline on a computer
- Log into your Google account, then open Google Maps.
- Click the hamburger menu in the top-left corner.
- Choose Your Timeline > Your Places > Visited.
How to check your Google Maps Timeline on your iPhone or Android
- Open the Google Maps app.
- Tap your profile or initials > Your Timeline.
Now that you’ve walked down memory lane, you might want to rethink your settings.
How to pause Location History
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Maps Timeline. Tap Settings > Pause Location History.
- On your Android, open Google Maps, tap on your profile or initial and select Your Timeline > More > Settings and privacy. Turn Location History off.
- If you’re on a computer, go to Timeline, click Settings > Pause Location History.
2. All the photos you took (and where)
Google tracks and records your every move, including the location data of photos you’ve taken.
Location tracking in the Google Photos app comes down to metadata — the hidden data embedded within the pictures you take. If you don’t turn off location tracking for images, your photos reveal where you were when you took them, among other things.
Whether or not you want to turn off location tracking, you should first see all the data Google Photos has collected. Here are two ways to check Google Photos and see everything Google knows about you:
How to check Google Photos on the app
- Open the Google Photos app.
- In the bottom bar, tap Search.
- Under the Places section, tap View All.
Now, you can see the entire location history. You can even use the map to browse photos by place.
You can also check location data on your computer, but it won’t be as comprehensive as what you see on your smartphone app. Here’s how:
How to check Google Photos on your computer
- First, go to photos.google.com.
- Tap on a specific image and click the Info button.
If you want to stop Google Photos from tracking your location data, do this:
- Open Google Photos.
- In the top right-hand corner, click Settings.
- Select the Sharing tab.
- Tap or click the slider that says Hide photo location data.
3. All the things you like
Personalized ads are based on lots of things:
- The personal information you voluntarily added to your Google Account.
- Advertiser data from Google partners.
- Google’s algorithms, which are incredibly adept at learning what you like.
If you have Personalized ads enabled, you can see what Google knows about you based on search history, browsing data and more. It’s not always 100% accurate, but it can get pretty close.
To check it out, go to your Google account, then click Privacy & personalization. In the Personalized ads sections, click My Ad Center to see the profile Google made based on your internet habits.
How to turn off Ad personalization
It’s easiest to do this from a computer. Head to the Ad Settings page and tap the menu next to Personalized ads. Next, select Turn off.
Of course, you’ll still get ads, but they might not be so targeted.