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Google makes it easier to delete the search, browsing and viewing history it keeps on you

Google is making it easier to see the search, browsing and YouTube viewing history it keeps on you, to delete any items you don’t want included, and to stop the company from logging your activity in future …

It’s doing this to comply with new European privacy regulations, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

To see the data Google stores on your web searches, browsing and YouTube viewing, visit the My Activity page.

You can delete individual items from this timeline by clicking on the three-dot menu top-right. You can also click the Details link in this menu to see additional information, such as other YouTube videos you watched in the same session.

You can now choose to switch off data-logging for the following categories:

  • Web & app activity
  • Location history
  • Device information
  • Voice & audio activity
  • YouTube search history
  • YouTube watch history

Google has also rewritten its privacy policy in plain English, another legal requirement for GDPR compliance.

Additionally, Google said that it is making it easier to port your Google data to other services, for example to transfer photos from Google Photos to other online photo repositories.

You can find out more at the company’s blog post.

Updated to clarify the change is making the process more visible and accessible


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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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