Things you do on the websites you visit
“Google doesn’t only collect data about you with their own browser, search engine, and other services, but also by tracking you on other websites,” a spokesperson for the app Ghostery, tells Reader’s Digest. “According to a study by Ghostery and Cliqz, Google is the largest operator of third-party tracking scripts.” One way to battle back is to use an anti-tracking tool (Ghostery is such a tool).
Your passwords
You know how Google Chrome always asks you if you’d like it to save your password? It’s convenient, yes. But it’s yet another piece of information you may not want Google to have about you. If you’ve already stored your password and are having second thoughts, here’s where you remove it as well as your passwords for other sites you saved passwords for while using Chrome.
Don’t miss these ways your computer password will get you hacked.
Maybe everything you said after “OK Google”
The audio recordings setting is optional, but it’s definitely worth checking your account to see if it’s turned on or not. Go to Activity Controls, and you’ll see ‘Web and App Activity’ with a toggle switch that’s either blue (on) or white (off). Below, there are two checkboxes: One in which you can allow Google to save your Chrome history and activity, and one which reads ‘Include audio activity.’ If you click on ‘learn more’ next to the latter one, you’ll be able to read about why Google saves your voice commands, and what it does with the data. But if you don’t want your voice to be in Google’s vaults for all time, simply leave the box unchecked and your audio data will not be saved.
