Google announced on June 24th that it will default to automatically deleting location history and web and app activity in Google Accounts after 18 months to better protect personal information. .
Automatic deletion of location history and web & app activity was introduced in 2019. Before that, you could choose not to save, but if you wanted to save it, you had to manually delete it.
Users can choose between 3 months and 18 months for automatic deletion. You still have the option not to auto-delete, and you can manually delete it at any time.
The new rules will default to deletion at 18 months for new users or when enabling Location History, Web & App Activity for the first time. This change only affects the default settings, so you can of course change the setting to 3 months or no auto-delete.
For existing users, the settings will not be changed, but Google will actively notify you about the control of automatic deletion.
These data are used for personalizing search results and advertisements, and are important for Google, which is engaged in the advertising business.
In the announcement, "We believe that we should keep user information as long as it is useful and helpful to users, such as finding favorite destinations on Maps or getting recommendations on what to watch on YouTube. “There are.”
Nevertheless, the decision to make auto-delete the default setting may not have much of an impact if it is 18 months old.
In addition, regarding YouTube history, when you create a new account or enable YouTube history for the first time, automatic deletion after 36 months will be the default. Existing users will still be able to select the 3 months, 18 months, and non-delete options as before.
In addition to advertising, your YouTube viewing history will also be used to notify you when new seasons of your favorite series you've watched in the past or new releases from your favorite artists are released. The longer auto-delete period than search and location history may be due to the greater impact of personalization.
source: Google