Google is rolling out auto-delete controls for your activity data and location history, letting you automatically scrub information after three or 18 months so if you were worried about your Google data history coming back to haunt you, you’ll be glad to hear that there’s now an easy way to keep that history brief.
While that’s not particularly fine-grained, it does save you from having to manually wipe info just to avoid leaving a permanent record.
You should see the option sometime in the “coming weeks.” Google also stressed that this was just the “first” move, so don’t be surprised if you have similar auto-delete functions for more of your data history after this.
Whenever those features arrive, this reflects an increasing awareness at Google of the importance of privacy — even if the company is still prone to the occasional misstep.
Here is how the new Google feature works:
Users will choose a time limit for how long they want their activity data to be saved between 3 or 18 months. Data that is older than the selected time period will be automatically deleted from the users account on an ongoing basis.
The auto-delete feature are coming first to Location and Web & App Activity will roll out in the forthcoming weeks.
In the blog, Google said that a users would always be able to manage their data in a way that works best for the user and that they are committed to giving the user the best controls to make that happen.
