Google is making it easier to access and control your personal data online.
The company recently made changes that can help you make your account’s search history more secure.
Google Just Password-Protected Your ‘Activity’ Page
Google has enabled a new privacy feature that requires you to enter your password to access your “My Activity” page.
To see how easy it is to turn on what the company is calling “extra verification,” I went inside my Google privacy settings.
Here are the steps I followed to enable the new security features in Google. They are the same for desktop as well as mobile.
Turn On Google’s Extra Verification With These 5 Steps
1. Log into your Google account and go to myactivity.google.com.
Click the link in the middle of the screen that says, “Manage My Activity verification” (see screenshot below).
2. Next, a pop-up screen will appear, which says: “If you turn on extra verification Google will make sure it’s really you before you can see or delete your full history on My Activity. This can help keep your history safer on shared devices.”
To proceed, you’ll have to toggle on “Require extra verification” and hit “Save” (see screenshot below).
3. You’ll be automatically logged out and have to log back into your account.
4. Once you do, you’ll see that the search history section now shows the image of a lock (see screenshot below). To get past it, you’ll be prompted to verify your credentials by entering your password again.
5. Once you sign back in, you’ll be able to see (and manage) your search history and other online activity.
Final Thoughts
Although your account will be locked down and require you to enter your password to view some of your most sensitive data, the company makes it clear that the extra verification setting applies only to the “My Activity” feature.
“Your history may still appear in other Google products,” says a notification on the page.
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