Discovering what Google knows about you is as simple as a few clicks on your smartphone or computer. The search engine goes beyond basic information like your location, age, interests, and favorite stores – it knows more about you than even those closest to you.
Google Maps, for example, keeps a record of every country, city, attraction, and local route you’ve ever visited. Additionally, its Ad Personalization system uses your search history, browsing data, and screen time to generate personalized ads.
So, use our guide to access three fascinating lists that may reveal surprising information about yourself:
Everything Google knows about you can be laid bare with a few simple clicks on your smartphone or computer
Google Maps unveils your travel history
If you have Location History enabled on your Google account, you can revisit your past journeys with the Google Maps Timeline. This feature provides a detailed overview of where you’ve been, including specific routes and timestamps.
To access your Timeline:
1. Log into your Google account and open Google Maps.
2. Click the hamburger menu in the top-left corner.
3. Choose Your Timeline > Your Places > Visited.
Alternatively, you can:
1. Open the Google Maps app.
2. Tap your profile or initials, then select Your Timeline.
If you wish to disable Location History:
1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Maps Timeline, tap Settings > Pause Location History.
2. On your Android, open Google Maps, tap your profile or initials, select Your Timeline > More > Settings and privacy, and turn off Location History.
3. On your computer, go to Timeline, click Settings > Pause Location History.
Reveal your photo locations
The Google Photos app tracks the location of every image you take through embedded metadata. These hidden data points reveal where and when each photo was captured, among other details.
To view the location data:
1. Open the Google Photos app.
2. Tap Search on the bottom bar.
3. Under the Places section, tap View All.
You can explore your entire location history on the map and browse photos by place.
To check location data on your computer:
1. Go to photos.google.com.
2. Click on a specific image and click the Info button.
To disable the tracking of your photo locations:
1. Open Google Photos.
2. Click Settings in the top-right corner.
3. Select the Sharing tab.
4. Toggle Hide photo location data off.
Ad personalization is determined by a combination of factors:
1. Personal information you voluntarily added to your Google Account.
2. Advertiser data from Google partners.
3. Google’s algorithms that learn about your preferences.
Unveiling Google’s ad personalization insights
While not always 100 percent accurate, Google’s ad personalization offers significant insights into your interests and preferences based on your search history, browsing data, and more.
To see what Google knows about you:
1. Go to your Google account and navigate to Privacy & Personalization.
If you have Ad Personalization enabled, you can see what Google knows about you based on search history, browsing data and more
2. In the Ad settings section, click Ad personalization to view the profile created by Google based on your online habits.
To disable ad personalization:
1. Visit the Ad Settings page.
2. Slide the toggle under Ad personalization to the left to turn it off.
Even with ad personalization off, you will still receive ads, but they might be less targeted.
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