Google is trying to make it easier for you to manage the vast pool of
information that it collects about your online activities across phones,
computers and other devices.
Among other things, a new privacy tool
will enable the more than 1 billion people who use Google's search
engine and other services to block certain ads from appearing on every
device that they log into, instead of having to make a special request
on each individual machine.
Some users of Google's search engine,
Gmail and Chrome browser will start receiving notices about the new
option beginning Tuesday, but it will take several more weeks before
it's available to everyone.
Google also is introducing a My
Activity feature that will enable users to delete records of their
online search requests and videos watched on YouTube in a single
location instead of having to visit different websites or apps.
Google's
business has been built on its longtime practice of monitoring its
users' online behavior in an effort to learn about their interests so it
can show ads most likely to appeal to them.
Those customized ads
shown alongside Google's search results and the content on millions of
other websites have turned Google's corporate parent, Alphabet Inc.,
into one of the world's most profitable companies.
In an effort to
minimize complaints about invading people's privacy, Google has long
allowed its users to impose limits on how much data is accumulated about
them and how many customized ads they see.
Last year, Google also opened a My Account hub to serve as a one-stop shop for setting privacy and security controls.
If they choose, users will now be able to authorize Google to store their web browsing histories in the "My Account" center.
Until
now, Google had been keeping personal information in different digital
dossiers that sometimes require users to take multiple steps to manage
specific pieces of data.
For instance, someone annoyed by a
Google-generated ad on their personal computer can prevent it from
appearing again by clicking on an "X'' in the corner. Taking that step
currently won't block the same ad from appearing on the targeted
person's smartphone a few hours later.
Google says that will no longer happen if users allow it to stockpile web browsing histories in the "My Account" center.
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