New Google Privacy Policy Details

How to Clear Your Google Search History Before March 1

by Kristy Korcz 2/23/12 8 Reactions 447 Shares Print

News flash: Google's new privacy policy goes into effect on March 1, and if you haven't read up on it yet, here's the basics: Google will now "combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services." This means that you will be seen as one user across all of Google's products including YouTube, Blogger, Google+, Calendar, and others. Google is hoping that this will bring a more streamlined experience to its account holders, and make things like search, ads, and suggestions more valuable to you.

Previously, your web history (Google searches and sites visited) has been separated from other Google products because it can reveal sensitive info like location, age, sexual orientation, marital status, and more, but after the changes take effect, your web history will be used to help make your Google experience more relevant. If you'd rather not have your web search history combined with information gathered from other products like Google+, YouTube, and so on, you'll want to delete your web history posthaste. Take note that this is different than just clearing your browser's history and cache — if you're signed into any Google product (Search, Gmail, Google+, etc.), Google will track your search data within its database.

Find out how to clear your Google search history with the step-by-step instructions in the gallery, and since we're talking about privacy, you should also read up what the new Online Consumer Bill of Rights means for you.

Start

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Log into your Google account.

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History

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Go to Google.com/History to see your entire search history.

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Remove Web History

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Click the "Remove Web History" button and confirm.

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That's It!

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Your Google web history has now been cleared and paused. If you want to keep your web search history from being documented again, leave this setting on "Pause."

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4 Comments

Nancy Einhart 1 year

Awesome, thank you! Done and done.

M78959 1 year

@starperformer & @apaul38 -- you need to click the "Next" button near the top - right of the article to see all of it. (A total of 4 times.)

apaul38 1 year

I also can't find the step-by-step instructions.

starperformer 1 year

Your article has the right focus, however you neglected to tell us where and how to clear Google search history. What does "Find out how to clear your Google search history with the step-by-step instructions in the gallery," mean? Why did you miss this crucial part of your article?

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