Stressing its commitment to privacy, Google in a blog post recently said, “We will keep your personal information private, safe, and secure. We think everyone should be in the know about what data is collected, how their information is used, and most importantly, how they control the data they share with us.” In this regard, the search giant detailed some of the common questions that users ask in relation to privacy.
Is Google Assistant recording everything I say?
Google said that Google Assistant is designed to wait in standby mode until it is activated, like when you say, "Hey Google" or "Ok Google”. “In standby mode, it processes short snippets of audio (a few seconds) to detect an activation (such as “Ok Google”). If no activation is detected, then those audio snippets won’t be sent or saved to Google. When an activation is detected, the Assistant comes out of standby mode to fulfill your request. The status indicator on your device lets you know when the Assistant is activated,” Google added. Further, when it’s in standby mode, the Assistant won’t send what you are saying to Google or anyone else, the company added. You can also delete your Google activity by simply using your voice.
How does Google decide what ads it shows me? How can I control this?
Google said the ads you see can be based on a number of things, such as your previous searches, the sites you visit, ads clicked, and more. “Data helps us personalise ads so that they're more useful to you, but we never use the content of your emails or documents, or sensitive information like health, race, religion or sexual orientation, to tailor ads to you,” Google affirmed. It is also easy to personalise the kinds of ads that are shown to you, or even disable ads personalisation completely by visiting the Ad Settings page.
Are you building a profile of my personal information across your products, for targeting ads?
The search giant said that it uses the information to improve products and services for everyone, and it uses anonymous, aggregated data to do so. It added that a small subset of information may be used to serve you relevant ads (for things you may actually want to hear about), but only with your consent, and you can always turn these settings off.
It is also important to note that you can use most of Google’s products completely anonymously, without logging in — you can Search in incognito mode, or clear your search history; you can watch YouTube videos and use Maps, Google added.
Are you reading my emails to sell ads?
Google said it has a host of products like Gmail, Drive and Photos that are designed to store your personal content, and this content is never used to show ads. “When you use your personal Google account and open the promotions or social tabs in Gmail, you'll see ads that were selected to be the most useful and relevant for you,” it added. You can also adjust your ad settings anytime.
Why do you need location information on Maps?
“If you want to get from A to B, it’s quicker to have your phone tell us where you are, than to have you figure out your address or location,” said Google. If you choose to enable location sharing, your phone will send anonymous bits of information back to Google. This is combined with anonymous data from people around you to recognise traffic patterns, the company added. This happens only for people who turn location history on, and it is off by default. Further, you can manage Google account location settings in Your Data in Maps.
What information does Google know about me? How do I control it?
The Google Dashboard displays a summary of what Google services you use and the data saved in your account. There are also powerful privacy controls like Activity Controls and Ad Settings, which allow you to switch the collection and use of data on or off to decide how all of Google can work better for you, said Google.
“Privacy features and controls have always been built into our services, and we’re continuously working to make it even easier to control and manage your privacy and security,” Google added.