Google announced last week that it had modified the "automatic deletion" feature so that it would be the "default setting" for the user account, thus the operating system will automatically erase data on user activity after a certain period.
The automatic deletion feature will only apply to new accounts, or existing accounts that are running data retention.
The new automatic deletion will give Google the ability to keep your data up to 3 years, unlike manually activated automatic deletion settings which can be set to 3 months.
Google also announced that the user will be able to access the privacy and security settings through its search page soon, and will also be able to switch to the incognito mode in Chrome browser more easily, by pressing down on the profile picture for a second or two.
Incognito mode allows you to browse the internet "privately", which means that Google Chrome will not save your registry or cookies on your computer, but this does not mean that the websites you visit or the server you use cannot see what you do.
And Google's move comes just two days after Apple announced competition for some of the new privacy features of its programs.
If you have a Google account and use its products, such as Gmail, YouTube or Chrome, you will likely sign in all the time. In this case, your activity can be tracked while using these applications and services by Google, who will then use this data to target ads to you, as well as other things.
Over the years, Google has introduced privacy controls for user data, and has made efforts to make these features more visible to them.
You can find most of these privacy controls in your account settings, by clicking on "Manage your data and personalization", then "Manage your activity controls", which is the section where you can save web and app activity, website history and YouTube history, if you want to use Google This data gives you what it calls a "more personalized experience" for you, or you can just ask Google not to save anything and get an impersonal experience, but it will be more secure for your data and more private.
And if you decide that you want a customized experience for you even if Google retains some of your data, you can still delete that data manually whenever you want, or set it to delete automatically after a certain time period.
Through the changes announced recently, Google is trying to facilitate the user's enjoyment of the best of two features: his user experience, and respect for the privacy of his data, by automatically deleting web activities, applications, website history and YouTube history.
Google encourages automatic deletion
It appears that Google is also doing more to inform existing users that they have the option to turn on automatic deletion. For example, the Google search page now contains a simple notification and link to the setting below the main search field.
Also, the default time for automatic deletion will be after 18 months for web and application activity and location history, and 36 months -3 years - for user activities on YouTube.
The data that Google collects about its users is a big part of its business model, as Google and its parent company, Alphabet, get billions of dollars in advertising revenue, which is worth more when it targets the people most interested in it.
So, while Google has made some improvements in user privacy and controls, it has found it difficult to convince the general public that it really cares to keep their data private. In this regard, Google has lagged behind some of its peers, such as Apple, whose business model is based on goods and services much more than data and ads.
Given the relatively small number of accounts that will have this automatic deletion feature, and the large amount of data that is preserved, it is difficult to determine how much the difference Google updates will really make in user privacy, but it shows that the company is trying to improve it or at least make us believe it Best.