Video: Everything Google Knows About You
AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA/Shutterstock.com
And how to manage it in Google's privacy settings.
If you use Gmail, Google Maps or YouTube, it should come as no surprise that Google knows a lot about you.
And the tech giant is pretty upfront about it: Google has laid out what data it collects from its users online under its privacy policy.
Browser cookies and usage data help Google determine what your interests are and what ads to show you. Look at your ad settings and you'll also find that Google has made a pretty accurate guess at your gender and age range. Under ad settings, users can tailor their interests to see ads relevant to them, or for those creeped out by the whole thing, turn off entirely customized ads.
Beyond ad settings, Google also keeps tabs on your search history and YouTube watch history, and even tracks location with a new feature called Google Timeline. This feature is meant to be useful, but showing where and when users have been and what photos they took while they were there may seem invasive to some. Luckily, all of this can be disabled in Google's privacy settings.
To learn more about Google's tracking efforts, check out the video from CNET below:
(Image via AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA/ Shutterstock.com)