For most people, the idea of being tracked is pretty disconcerting. Nobody wants their every move to be documented, but it’s sometimes impossible to stop.
Last year, Google came under fire when the Associated Press reported that the company tracks users even if they’ve turned off Google’s Location History option.
Now, it seems Google is trying to make amends. The company plans to introduce a new feature allowing users to automatically delete their Location History and Web & App Activity data.
Product Managers, David Monsees and Marlo McGriff wrote:
“We work to keep your data private and secure, and we’ve heard your feedback that we need to provide simpler ways for you to manage or delete it…Choose a time limit for how long you want your activity data to be saved—3 or 18 months—and any data older than that will be automatically deleted from your account on an ongoing basis.”
The AP’s report last year found that Google tracks data from the Web & App Activity setting. The new feature will wipe data from that as well — essentially getting rid of every bit of location history that Google has about you.
“You should always be able to manage your data in a way that works best for you–and we’re committed to giving you the best controls to make that happen,” Monsees and McGriff wrote.
Google plans to roll out the feature “in the coming weeks,” with it coming to Location History and Web & App Activity first.
