Privacy-focused Google makes 'My Activity' more secure with new verification options
Google tracks you. Yeah, yeah, we all know that. It is nothing new. The truth is, that tracking is both a gift and a curse. True, it isn't a nice feeling to know a company is watching your activity across its services, but at the same time, that tracking allows Google to provide you with a more personal experience. For instance, I choose to let Google track me, and my overall web experience is better as a result.
Thankfully, the search giant does empower its users by letting them limit some of the sharing. And now, Google is making "My Activity" (the page which displays much of this tracking history) more secure. You see, the company is now providing extra verification options when accessing My Activity.
"If your Web and App Activity setting is on, your Search history is saved to your account to enable more personalized experiences across Google services. You can view and delete that Search history any time at My Activity. But maybe you share a device, and want to make sure others who use it can't go into My Activity and look at your Search history," says JK Kearns, Search Product Manager, Google.
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Kearns further says, "Now, we've given you a way to put extra protection around the searches saved in your account. When you're signed in, you can now choose to require extra verification for My Activity. With this setting, you'll need to provide additional information -- like your password or two-factor authentication -- before your full history can be viewed."
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While it may seem odd to call Google a privacy-focused company, that is simply a fact. Look, the search giant can simultaneously track users while giving them control over how that data is used. Google didn't have to make the 'My Activity' more secure, but it did. There is no downside to additional verification options. Google is owed a big thanks for this.
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