Google Made Deleting Your Search History Easier

Apparently, Google made the process of deleting your search history easier for you. It used to be that users had to visit the landing page inside their Google Account to see their past queries and delete them. Right now, however, it is possible to do so from within search itself.

How do I do it?

Any Google search will have three lines on its left side. Tap them, and you will open up a ‘your data in search’ option. Then, Google will show you what you searched for, and it will also provide you with the possibility of getting rid of everything.

When will it become available?

This new function will launch officially on mobile and desktop web on Wednesday, and in several weeks it will also come up in the iOS and Android versions of the Google app.

A way to make up for the scandals

Google had to handle a handful of data privacy scandals recently, and this update comes as a way to make up for them. The Associated Press released an issue back in August, talking about how Google still stored time-stamped location data even if the user chose for this to not happen.

Then, in late September, Google back-tracked on some changes to its browser. This resulted in users being automatically signed in when they wanted to access a Google service, like Gmail.

Most recently, Google came across a software bug that allowed developers to see Google+ data containing its users’ private profiles. The social network was subsequently shut down.

Why did it happen?

Google doesn’t ‘sell’ its users’ data, but it still uses it for tailoring ads across its various services, such as Youtube, search or Maps. The company stated on Wednesday that “having access to relevant and actionable privacy controls directly from the Google products you use every day is just one way that we are continuously working to build privacy that works for everyone.”