Last chance before Google rounds up your web history | CTV Calgary

Last chance before Google rounds up your web history
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Women work at laptops in front of a Google logo at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, Oct.8, 2006. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/DAPD, Torsten Silz, File)
Updated: Tue Feb. 28 2012 10:48:39

Kendra Mangione, CTVNews.ca

Google users have until Wednesday night to change settings before their private searches merge into one online identity.

Starting March 1, Google will turn 60 policies into one. The new policy will let Google combine a user's searches, emails and sites accessed through Google to create a single user profile. Previously, data from Gmail, Google+ and YouTube accounts were stored separately. The new system will combined information from the services to provide Google with a single identity for each user.

This new identity will be used for targeted ads and customized search results, among other things.

The search engine will be able to access a user's personal interests, health problems, age and gender with the single policy. It can also determine a user's location based on Google Maps searches.

Jennifer Stoddart, Privacy Commissioner of Canada voiced concerns with the new policy to Google in an open letter on February 23.

However, Toronto Internet lawyer Shaya Silber says the reactions are "overblown." He said the new storage system is not much different from the current one. The major change is "the uniform policy makes it clearer for users to understand how information is used."

The new system is simple to navigate and understand, he said. "Google's making it easier." And with numerous notices posted in Google, Google+, Gmail and YouTube, "they're not trying to sneak a quick one over on us," he said.

Users have until Wednesday at midnight to opt out of the new setting. Beginning Thursday, users will be unable to delete their Google Web History.

If a user opts out, Google will continue gathering and storing information but all data will be anonymous for 18 months.

How to remove your search history:

Log in to your Google account.
On the right-hand side of the page, click your email address to pull up the drop-down menu.
If you want to read more about the policy, click "Privacy." Otherwise, click "Account Settings."
In the Services section, click "Go to web history."
Click the "Remove all Web History" button. A prompt will appear to confirm the selection. Click "OK."
You may also want to delete your YouTube viewing and search history. To do this, click YouTube on the toolbar at the top of the Google homepage.

On the right-hand side, click your user name and select "Video Manager" from the drop-down menu.
Click "History" on the left, then "Clear all viewing history." Refresh the page, then click "Pause viewing history."
To clear search history, click "Search History," then the "Clear all search history" button. Refresh the page, and click "Pause search history."
Read Google's official statement here.

Comments are now closed for this story

Mike
Your current browsing history through Google is a collection of the search terms you've put into the search field, and the links you've clicked that Google provided for you. That is, only if you're signed in, and, at least currently, only if your browsing history is un-paused.They aren't tracking your web browser's history, they aren't tracking you through pages after you pass from the Google.com site, and they aren't tracking your IP address.Basically, they're doing exactly what they were doing before, but one history applies to all of their services. This isn't really that big of a deal... You can always browse while you're not signed into Google.


Right as Always
You wonder how companies ever made a profit before they knew every detail about your personal life and habits. How far is too far? How much invasion will we all accept? It seems only a public uproar can get the message across to these companies, and even then...


Will
So much for Google's motto: "don't be evil".


sparklekitten
I logged into my youtube account from my aunt's laptop a few months ago and forgot to log out. Now today when I went through to delete my google activity I can see everything she's searched for on google and none of it is what I'd like to be associated with. Lesson learned! Always log out!!


Remarkable
Regardless of what Google is going to do with the information, the entire internet is open to the world and if somebody really wants your information they will get it one way or another. Google, Apple, Facebook already have your information if you are using them, but what about all the other websites, search engines, social networking sites keep your information without even telling you?


Glenn
I am deleting all things Google from my systems. You might want to consider doing the same.


JasonG
If you dont want to be tracked then dont sign into google when you surf.. If you like to use google but dont want them to track your searches use duckduckgo.com. They forward your searches to the engine of your choice and bring back the results with no tracking. Want to get harder to follow online use a vpn service they cost about 10 bucks a month but the police will have a much harder time seeing what your up to or use TOR and get some of your privacy back... Knowledge is power!!!


Vladamir Winnipeg
If you do not have a Google account, you don't have to worry about Google's data collection. If you just casually use Google's search engine or other web offerings, again, you have nothing to worry about. You're an unidentified user in the statistics derived from your online activities with Google's infrastructure.


Brian
Another note to Sal: Google can't send us to jail if they don't like what they see. We are freely giving information to them.


Mr. Nettastic, OK
Just don't do things that you don't want everyone to know about!


sean
As much as I like google this is unacceptable and I guess Im moving on to BING


John R
Google and it's various services it offers are essentially FREE. They make money by selling ads to marketers and displaying them to me. The marketers don't care about ME, "John". They care about my age, location, sex, and income. Advertisers care about the aggregate of metrics, not the individual. So, I provide this little piece of information, and in return I get to use their services for free. Better yet, the ads they show me are of interest to me. I would love if I could avoid ads for tampons on TV, but I do avoid them online.If you don't like it, good luck finding another search engine that doesn't collect any information about your searches.


Mitchell
To Sal: Because consumers/users of google agree to use their services (online tracking and all) by utilising their site, while we have no choice regarding the police and the state.


Agust
to Sal, Google is gathering information with your permission and you can choose to not let them by using another service. The police could gather your information without your knowledge. That's the difference.


Singer
WOW...Guess there is no such thing as PRIVACY anymore? Just another way to make it easier for hackers and for identity theft to happen.


Me in the 'burbs
Looks like I'll be using another search engine from now on. I value my privacy and Google wants to invade it.


Sal
Why is google allowed to do this and the Police need a search warrant???


John Cameron
I am looking forward to seeing the changes, if I don't like it I can always use another server. But I think it will be nice to see what my choices may look like and how the new system will respond. Hope it will be able to help me understand more about me by the likes I click and the sites I visit.