I also had the option to turn the web history on, then pause it. I wish I hadn’t done that. I had no history, and now I’m paused. However, I found this in help:
"Pause your Web History
If you’re visiting a webpage or performing a search that you don’t want stored in your web history:
Click Pause to prevent your future web activity from being saved in Web History and from being used to personalize your search results. To start keeping track of your web activity again, click Resume.
If you’d like to sign out of Web History altogether, click your name or email address at the top of the page, then select Sign out from the drop-down menu. Note that you’ll need to sign back in to your Google Account in order for Web History to begin storing your web activity again."
I assume that means that any time I sign back in, Google will automatically being storing my web activity, although it was paused when I signed out. So I will have to manually pause it any time I log out and log back in. Feh.
The problem is, once they’ve abused it, you can’t get your information back. Once, say, they start selling information to employers who then use the information to decide to put you on some blacklist in your field, there’s nothing you can do about it.
I mean, it’s somewhat reasonable to say not to put anything you don’t want everyone to possibly know on Facebook. It’s another to say that you can never search for anything you wouldn’t want everyone in the world to know about. It would be nice if people were all rational adults and realized that, for example, looking for furry porn doesn’t affect how well you’d do as an IT person, but that’s not the world we live in.
As the OP’s Franklin quote shows, the idea is not that what Google is currently planning to do with the information is onerous, but that it’s easier to stop it now before it becomes onerous.
Oh, and don’t forget that Google constantly tries to get you to add your cell number to your account. Yes, I’m sure they’re really concerned with the possibility I’ll lose my password–that’s why the alternate email address I’ve provided isn’t enough.
I’m puzzled by the web settings too. I know Google remembers my searches because if I type in certain words then Googles first suggestion are phrases I recently used. I run CClean daily and its not getting that info from my Cookies.
Aww jeez,not this shit again. If you’re worried about your browsing history,you’re way beyond the curve. This has been public knowledge for years. The only problem is Google’s algorithms. I have a predilection for martians with four toes. Could I be a terrorist?
I’ll have “Big Sis” knocking down my door within the week. --or not.
Followed it, thanks for the advice, but now how do I get rid of that slightly scummy feeling for having done something recommended by the DailyFail? Do I now need to start frothing at the mouth and spouting insanities like “ARE SINGLE MOTHERS TURNING THE COUNTRYSIDE GAY?”
Mine was turned off, but I’m really not understanding this “ZOMG Google knows what you’ve been searching for” hysteria. I mean, really, who gives a shit?
Homeland Security? i mean if they can take joke tweets seriously, why wouldn’t they do the same for google? don’t ever search for any of their trigger words.
