Search history is a vital tool when it comes to people browsing the web, but one thing that you may not have realized is that Google actually keeps a copy of your search history. The next time your cover letter is overdue, or you want take a new place of employment – find out how to view and restore your private info before it’s too late.
What is the purpose of a Google Search History?
A Google search history is a historical record of the searches that you have made on Google.com. This information can be helpful for understanding your preferences and how you use Google, as well as for targeting ads on the website.
Why keep a search history?
There are two main reasons to keep a search history: to better understand your interests and to target ads. By understanding your interests, Google can create more relevant ads that may be of interest to you. For example, if you often search for travel destinations, Google might show ads for travel destinations near you. Similarly, if you frequently search for clothes brands, Google might show ads for clothes brands similar to those that you’ve been searching for.
How do I delete my search history?
To delete your search history on Google.com, open the Search bar and type “history”. On the resulting page, click the “History” button at the top. On the next page, under “History Type”, select ” All History”. In the “Delete History?” section, select “Yes”.
How to View Your Google Search History
If you’re Curious about What Google Searches for You, Here’s How to See Your Data .
By Jessica Paige Zabik, of this site and the Google Privacy Blog.
Best I can tell at the moment none of these search phrases have ever appeared in any published reports about Google’s Dragonfly project. Shocker, huh?
In case you’ve been too oblivious to notice, there’s a battle taking shape between the “collect everything” factions (based upon unverifiable claims made by former federal security contractors) who want everybody completely digitized, tagged and monitored 24/7, and the “privacy matters” factions (like us), who know that they cannot trust Google which has its own commercial reasons for ensuring that everything it knows about you is forever accessible to someone else. So there will be peace
What Can You Learn from Your Google Search History?
Google keeps a history of your searches, both on the web and on Google Plus. This history can give you a good idea of what you’ve been interested in over the past few months or years. For example, if you’ve been looking for information about a certain topic recently, it’s likely that Google has indexed pages related to that topic. You can also see which search terms people have used to look for information on this topic. This can help you segment your audience and target content to specific types of people.
4. How Inverse Searches Are Affecting Results
Inverse searches are search terms that are actually being searched for rather than those that would appear in a standard search. For example, if “good” appears in the original query but “bad” comes up as the answer, Google thinks the searcher means “good” when she really meant “bad.” After all, how often does someone say to herself or himself, “Hmm, I wonder now if I should search for bad or good?” If you wanted to increase sales on a certain item with an 80% drop-off rate
How You Can Minimize the Chance of Personal Privacy Breaches
Google’s recent announcement that it will be storing user search histories – including queries made on all Google services, such as its namesake search engine, Google Maps, and YouTube – has concerned many people. This move has raised fears that the personal information of users can be accessed by third parties without their consent or knowledge.
In response to these concerns, here are three ways you can minimize the chance of your personal privacy being breached by Google:
First, be mindful of what information you share with Google. Do not include sensitive personal information (e.g. credit card numbers) if you don’t have to.
Second, use Google services responsibly. Do not use them to track or spy on others, or to feed unwanted ads into your web browser.
Finally, be proactive about protecting your privacy. Use a privacy-protecting browser extension such as Firefox’s NoScript or Chrome’s Incognito Mode, or read our guide on how to protect your online privacy.