Delete search history: It doesn't delete everything! 🗑️
Summary
- Deleting your local web history in the browser only removes it from your view. Often, this data is stored by third parties on their servers. 🗑️
- Google stores information about you to offer you a better online experience, including the possibility of providing you with personalized recommendations. 📊
- Finding a good balance between the frequency and depth of the actions you take to Protecting your privacy online It's up to you. ⚖️
If you've ever deleted your browsing history thinking it was gone forever, think again. Deleting your local history reduces your digital footprint, but it doesn't completely eliminate it.
Your online actions create a digital trail of breadcrumbs. Some of these breadcrumbs come from conscious interactions, such as posts on social networks, newsletter subscriptions or the acceptance of cookies from websites. Others are generated in a more passive way while you browse the web and use applications. 🍞
This set of data is what is known as your digital footprint.
Why deleting your browsing history isn't enough?
Your browser saves website history, cookies, and various cache files on your device. Clearing your cache, cookies, and browsing history deletes all of those files, so anyone using your device can't see the list. However, companies that provide services on Internet, including companies like Google, keep a log of user activity. This is not your local browser history; that information is stores in other places, such as on Google servers. 🌐
Google uses this information to improve its services, offer personalized recommendations, and increase the effectiveness of its targeted advertising. A complete history clear requires you to delete all the information Google keeps in your account settings.
How to delete your data from your Google account
To remove your personal data, log in to your Google account and then go to the “My Google Activity” page. All of your recent activity will be displayed, chronologically, from newest to oldest. Your searches, website visits, YouTube activity, and your location history, if enabled, will be shown. 📅
The log is not just a simple list of your actions; it is a record detailed with dates, times, and device information. Google makes it easy to delete items from your activity log. To remove an entry, click the three small dots next to it, select “Delete,” and confirm the deletion. ✅
If you want to delete much more, Google offers the option to delete activity by date range. Whether you want to delete everything from yesterday or clear your history from the past month, you can set your desired parameters. Just click the “Delete” option, choose the appropriate date range, and confirm your selection. 🗓️
Doing this task manually every time isn't very practical. Fortunately, Google offers automatic deletion, which can go a long way in maintaining your privacy without too much effort. The “My Google Activity” setting allows you to automatically delete all activity older than 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months. ⏳
Select “Web & app activity,” then scroll down to “Automatic deletion.” The default is for Google to delete all of this data every 18 months (for accounts created after June 2020). If you want to change this, you can use the dropdown menu to choose a time period and “Confirm,” and Google will take care of the rest:
Are there any disadvantages to deleting your data?
There are costs involved in deleting this data. Google offers a number of personal services. The data you store improves your experience across every service Google uses. It's considerably smoother and much more personal. Google remembers your preferences and offers highly relevant suggestions and faster searches. All searches, videos, and location check-ins are saved (unless you've turned them off). 🛠️
If you value privacy more than personalized convenience, you might decide to minimize the amount of data you allow to accumulate. The less data you share, the more likely you are to maintain your privacy. Turning off certain activity tracking features, such as location history or web and app activity, can help. 🕵️♂️
Personally, what I find to be a good balance between maintaining my online privacy and removing the data Google collects about me, is to clear my data every 6 weeks. Also, I never go more than two weeks without clearing my cookies. I'm pretty privacy conscious, so this is what works best for me. 🔒
Other things you can do for your online privacy
In addition to managing your settings in Google, there are other ways to protect your data online. You can install extensions in your browser that block trackers, which can reduce the amount of data sent to Google and other companies. 🛡️
A VPN helps with online privacy, as it encrypts internet traffic and hides IP addresses, which can limit websites and advertisers from tracking users. The service doesn't block all tracking methods, but when users combine VPN with additional safeguards, such as blocking trackers, preventing browser fingerprinting, and staying logged out of Google, it can help users browse more privately. 🌐
The software updates are important, so avoid clicking the “remind me later” button every time you get an update. Whether it’s a system, app, or browser update. Important updates include patches, security that improve the security of the software and these improvements can be significant. Ignoring these updates could leave you exposed to vulnerabilities that compromise your security and privacy, no matter how many times you delete your history. ⚠️
Take a proactive approach and regularly review the permissions you grant to apps and services – consider them carefully. A single app often contains a lot of data, but may not actually require all of it. Review these permissions often and remove access when no longer needed – I highly recommend doing this, especially if you're using an Android device. 📱
Your digital footprint isn't something that disappears by simply clicking the "delete" button. It's a living record, continually updated with every interaction you have online. Taking control of your data means accepting that privacy is an ongoing responsibility. Instead of relying on local history deletion alone, make managing your "My Google Activity" log a regular habit. 🔄
Deleting your browsing history is just the tip of the iceberg. The real control lies in how you manage all your other online interactions – be careful not to share too much private information online. 🧊
