{"id":28178,"date":"2023-01-06T13:11:38","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T13:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/06\/10-google-account-privacy-settings-to-change\/"},"modified":"2023-01-06T13:11:38","modified_gmt":"2023-01-06T13:11:38","slug":"10-google-account-privacy-settings-to-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/06\/10-google-account-privacy-settings-to-change\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Google Account Privacy Settings to Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Joe Fedewa \/ How-To Geek<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Google offers many different services these days, and a single Google account spreads your information across a lot of them. There are some things you can do to lock down security and privacy on your account. We\u2019ll show you.<\/p>\n

Turn On Two-Factor Authentication<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start with something everyone who has a Google account should do\u2014turn on two-factor authentication<\/a> (2FA). This is a simple thing to do, but it adds an important extra layer of security to your account.<\/p>\n

With 2FA<\/a> enabled, you\u2019ll need to confirm you\u2019re signing in with an automated text message, phone call, or an authenticator app. Google started enabling 2FA for everyone in 2021<\/a>, but you should enable it if it hasn\u2019t been already.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Turn On Two-Factor Authentication for Your Google Account with Google Authenticator<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Turn On \u201cEnhanced Safe Browsing\u201d in Chrome<\/h2>\n

\"Enable<\/p>\n

If you have a Google account, there\u2019s a good chance you also use Google Chrome. You can make your browsing more secure by enabling\u00a0\u201cEnhanced Safe Browsing\u201d mode.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEnhanced Safe Browsing\u201d builds upon the \u201cSafe Browsing<\/a>\u201d feature with some additional tools.\u00a0Chrome shares more browsing data with Google, which allows for threat assessments to be more accurate and proactive\u2014though you have to be okay with Google examining your data.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Turn on “Enhanced Safe Browsing” in Google Chrome<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Password Protect Your Google Activity<\/h2>\n

You probably know that Google tracks a lot of your activity when you use its products. This information is available to view at\u00a0activity.google.com<\/a>, but you don\u2019t want just anybody to be able to see it.<\/p>\n

The good news is you can protect your Google activity with a password.<\/a>\u00a0That way\u2014even if someone has access to your Google account\u2014they\u2019ll need a password to browse your full account activity.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Password Protect Your Google Search History<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Delete Your Gmail Without Deleting Your Google Account<\/h2>\n

Creating a Gmail address gives you a Google account, and creating a Google account gives you a Gmail address. However, you can actually have a Google account without a Gmail account.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t want to worry about anyone getting into your Gmail account or dealing with an endless stream of spam, you can get rid of it<\/a>. You\u2019ll still have access to everything else in your Google account.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Delete Your Gmail Account Without Deleting Your Google Account<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Turn Off \u201cOkay Google\u201d History<\/h2>\n

\"Turn<\/p>\n

Did you know that every time you say \u201cOkay Google\u201d and use a voice command, Google keeps an audio recording of it? It\u2019s true, and you can listen to all of them on the\u00a0\u201cWeb & App Activity<\/a>\u201d page\u00a0for your account.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t like this, you can manually delete recordings or turn off \u201cInclude voice and audio activity.\u201d They\u2019ll no longer be recorded and saved to your account, but voice commands will still function like normal.<\/p>\n

Auto-Delete Your Web and Location History<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve mentioned the activity Google tracks and where you can find it a couple of times\u2014it\u2019s a lot<\/a>. Thankfully, Google lets you automatically clear out this data after a certain length of time.<\/p>\n

Google accounts created after 2020 have their history automatically deleted after 18 months by default. If your account is older than that, you\u2019ll need to\u00a0enable the auto-deletion feature yourself<\/a>. You can choose between three months or 18 months.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Make Google Auto-Delete Your Web and Location History<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Remove a Google Account from Chrome<\/h2>\n

Google asks you to sign in with your Google account when first using the Chrome browser. It may seem like you need to do this, but you don\u2019t. If you don\u2019t want Google to see all your browsing history, you can sign out of Chrome<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When you remove your Google account from Chrome, you\u2019ll lose the ability to sync bookmarks, tabs, and saved information between devices. But if you want to browse more privately, it\u2019s a trade-off you have to make.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Remove a Google Account From Chrome<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Manage Apps Connected to Your Google Account<\/h2>\n

\"Manage<\/p>\n

Having a Google account makes it easy to sign into apps and websites that support Google login. The problem is these services can add up over time, and you probably don\u2019t use some of them anymore. You should regularly audit which services have access to your account.<\/p>\n

You can do this in your Google account\u2019s\u00a0Sign-in & Security<\/a>\u00a0page. Scroll down to the \u201cThird-party apps with account access\u201d box and select \u201cManage Third-Party Access.\u201d From there you can remove any old services.<\/p>\n

Delete Your Data from a Google Service<\/h2>\n

\"Delete<\/p>\n

Beyond third-party apps, there are also a decent number of Google\u2019s own services that have your data. Just because you have a Google account doesn\u2019t mean you have to keep all of these services around forever.<\/p>\n

Google allows you to delete individual Google services from your account, removing all of the data they\u2019ve acquired in the process. To do this, go to the \u201cData & Privacy<\/a>\u201d page and select \u201cDelete a Google Service.\u201d You\u2019ll see a list of services you can remove.<\/p>\n

Set Your Google Account to Automatically Delete (or Share) Upon Your Death<\/h2>\n

The last tip is a little morbid, but it\u2019s worth looking into.\u00a0Want to share your family photos after your death, but nuke your search history? That can be done with Google\u2019s Inactive Account Manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n

First, visit this page<\/a> to start setting up the Inactive Account Manager. Click \u201cStart\u201d and you\u2019ll be guided through the process of when to mark your account as \u201cInactive,\u201d how to send you reminders about it, who to contact at that time, and which stuff to delete and share.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Set Your Google Account to Automatically Delete (or Share) Upon Your Death<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n

There you have it, some options to make your Google account a little more secure. Google probably has a lot of your information, so make sure you\u2019re regularly keeping an eye on things.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n