Three simple steps to delete your Google browsing history... before it's too late

[Exterous]

Mine was already off. My wife's was on though and was apparently tracking all the use. I debated letting google know my wife was also into tools and computer parts but I ended up deleting it

 

[Analog]

I didn't check how far back mine went, but they never had my consent to do this...

 

[Rocksinhead]

Thanks!

Mine goes back to 2007, apparently at the time I was somewhat obsessed with Anneliese van der Pol :wub:

Btw, I actually like this 'feature' and will keep it.

After googling her I can see why this was so. Mine was off as well which is good because I can't even imagine some of the things I must have googled in the past 7-8 years that would have absolutely no context anymore for why I was searching for it.

 

[highland145]

After googling her I can see why this was so. Mine was off as well which is good because I can't even imagine some of the things I must have googled in the past 7-8 years that would have absolutely no context anymore for why I was searching for it.

SNAP..

 

[PricklyPete]

Mine was never on.

 

[bfdd]

Turns out I had it turned off the entire time

lol same

 

[darkewaffle]

On or off, didn't bother to check, because contrary to Google's warnings most of this stuff doesn't actually matter.

 

[Blieb]

Whoa ... mine had history back to 2005!!!

Thanks!

 

[gevorg]

You guys are so naive to think that you're REALLY turning it off. All it does is just hides it from displaying to you! :biggrin:

 

[Red Squirrel]

You guys are so naive to think that you're REALLY turning it off. All it does is just hides it from displaying to you! :biggrin:

And someone else from seeing it if they log in to a pc that you've used. Or someone from seeing it over your shoulder etc.

One thing I'm not a fan of is how we are all forced into google+ and the fact that they somehow know who your IRL friends are and added them in already. I never added anyone to google+, yet there's a bunch of IRL friends in mine.

For all we know, everytime you search for something it will also show up on your wall "Red Squirrel searched for _____ @ 10:45pm, feb 20" etc. Not cool.

So turning off this feature may possibly turn that off too if they randomly decide to add that as a "feature".

But yeah, I'm trying to get away from google now, sick of having my privacy deliberately exploited. I know there's no such thing as privacy on the internet, but google is pushing the envelope.

 

[Spacehead]

One thing I'm not a fan of is how we are all forced into google+ ...

How are they forcing us to use google+?

 

[Red Squirrel]

How are they forcing us to use google+?

Logging to your google account, google+ will already be setup and your IRL friends will somehow be in it. I don't understand how they do that, but they do. You don't have to "use" it per say, but they are forcing you to be "in" it. Almost everyone has a google account, given everything ties to that. Youtube, gmail, the google site itself (the only way to get rid of that stupid instant search crap unless you want to change the setting every time you close your browser). So by having a simple google account, you have google+.

I also noticed they got rid of the link feature on google maps. If you want to show someone a specific location you need to "share" it. Then it goes on your wall. So say you want to send a family member a streetview of your house the only way is to share it, then all your friends (or what google thinks are your friends) will see it on your wall.

I never used google+, yet if I login to it, I have a bunch of people in there I know or have known IRL. Some of them I've never even talked to electronically, so I don't even know how the hell they're getting this info. I also don't use gmail, so I don't have an address book or anything.... that I know of... never made one, unless Google did. I just don't get how they know who I know IRL. I blame aliens.

 

[Spacehead]

Logging to your google account, google+ will already be setup and your IRL friends will somehow be in it. I don't understand how they do that, but they do. You don't have to "use" it per say, but they are forcing you to be "in" it. Almost everyone has a google account, given everything ties to that. Youtube, gmail, the google site itself (the only way to get rid of that stupid instant search crap unless you want to change the setting every time you close your browser). So by having a simple google account, you have google+.

Didn't know that.
I just logged into my gmail account & clicked on the '+You' button. It said "to join, create your online profile".
It's something I'll never use it so i didn't "join" just to see what's there.

 

[buttercake]

I have a phone that uses android and in order to use the market to buy or install free apps, games, surf the internet etc, I need to have a google gmail email address, without that my htc phone is somewhat useless when it comes to using it for the internet.

Google have become too big for their shoes and have taken over a lot of stuff, like youtube, firefox preinstalled google as the default search engine and this is so wrong

 

[Dr. Zaus]

I prefer the convenience of advertisements that I like.

 

[boomhower]

Done but it was pretty empty since I use bing most of the time.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Done but it was pretty empty since I use bing most of the time.

Playn' that dang ol' east-texan hick that there hilt there man i'll tell ya.

 

[Gibson486]

yeah, I was pretty surprised when I emailed an excel sheet with people's names (just names and addresses, no email). Next thing I know, I was signing into linkedin and it was telling me to connect with those people. My fiancee and I do not have their email addresses (and we do not want them). I was kind of shocked and I am looking around for another email service now.

 

[Anubis]

Logging to your google account, google+ will already be setup and your IRL friends will somehow be in it. I don't understand how they do that, but they do. .

they match your gmail address book with the emails of others using google + and add them

not hard to figure out

 

[lxskllr]

I was kind of shocked and I am looking around for another email service now.

https://lavabit.com/personal_e_mail.html

 

[Anubis]

yeah, I was pretty surprised when I emailed an excel sheet with people's names (just names and addresses, no email). Next thing I know, I was signing into linkedin and it was telling me to connect with those people. My fiancee and I do not have their email addresses (and we do not want them). I was kind of shocked and I am looking around for another email service now.

fastmail

they have both free and paid levels of service, i pay for the full one

http://fastmail.fm/

 

[lxskllr]

fastmail

they have both free and paid levels of service, i pay for the full one

http://fastmail.fm/

What do you like about them? I'm eying Lavabit due to the server side encryption, and the prices are decent(lower than fastmail), but I'm willing to reevaluate.

 

[Red Squirrel]

they match your gmail address book with the emails of others using google + and add them

not hard to figure out

I don't use gmail, my email is on my own server that I manage. Otherwise I would have suspected that too.

 

[Triumph]

I logged in, the history was already turned off, I turned it on just to see what the buzz was about, now I can't turn it off, I can only "pause" it. WTF?

 

[MotionMan]

Turns out I had it turned off the entire time

Same.

MotionMan