Google says it’s now easier to control your data with new search privacy options

Google has launched new privacy features the tech giant says aim to make it easier to control your personal data.

From directly within Search, it’s now possible to review and delete recent Search Activity, get quick access to the most relevant privacy controls in your Google Account, and finally, gather more information about how search utilizes your data.

Further, Google says that it now provides quicker access to privacy controls, including the ads users view in Search, the specific information the tech giant gathers to display targeted advertisements and new Activity Controls.

“When you use Google products, you generate data about your activity. For Search, this data includes the terms you search for, links you interact with, and other information like your current location when you search,” writes Google in a recent blog post the company says was written by Eric Miraglia, the company’s director of product management, privacy and data protection office.

Google says that before now the only way to access this data was to navigate directly to your Google Account’s settings. The company is now giving easier access to these features directly within an individual user’s search activity, both on desktop and mobile web, with an Android and iOS app update coming soon.

This shift comes as a variety of tech giants, including Facebook with the social media platform’s Cambridge Analytica scandal, and Google’s recent Google+ privacy flaw, are moving to offer greater transparency when it comes to what data users are sharing, as well as providing more straightforward privacy controls.

Source: Google