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SALT LAKE CITY — People with Google accounts can now download an archive of data with a list of all of the terms they have ever searched.
The export feature was recently discovered by Google Operating System, an unofficial blog about the tech giant. Google users have long been able to search their data online, but the ability to download the data is new.
Users can click on the gear in the upper-right corner of the Google history page and select “download” to obtain a copy of their data. It will bring up a prompt that includes a list of important information which the company asks users to read carefully, writing that “it’s not the usual yada yada.”
Google advises users to avoid downloading the archive on a public computer and ensure they have two-step verification in place for extra protection.
“If you have decided to take your data elsewhere, please research the data export policies of your destination,” the statement reads. “Otherwise, if you ever want to leave the service, you may have to leave your data behind.”
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Most major social media platforms offer suggestions for parents on how to keep children safe on their particular site.Once users opt to create an archive of their data, a copy of their search history will be saved to the Takeout folder in Google Drive. From there, users can download the files to their computer.
While perusing your archive could be mildly entertaining, it’s likely that sensitive information will be included. For example, most history logs include the user’s home addresses from searches in Google Maps.
Those wary of having Google save their information can still opt to delete their history by clicking on the gear on the right-hand corner of the Google history page and selecting “remove items.” Users have the option of deleting data from the past hour, day, week, four months or from the beginning of time.
However, users should know that deleting the history will affect their ability to receive enhanced search results.
In addition to showing the exact searches users have performed, the Google history page offers personalized analytics. A calendar shows how many searches a user conducted on specific days and additional graphs reveal activity based on hour of day, day of the week, and month of the year.
