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- The tweak was introduced on Wednesday and is the latest attempt by a big online firm to boost public trust
- Pichai said: 鈥淧rivacy is at the heart of everything we do鈥�
DUBAI: Google has begun auto-deleting new users鈥� search data and location history on a rolling 18-month basis, CEO Sundar Pichai announced, as the tech giant moves to tighten privacy settings.
The tweak was introduced on Wednesday and is the latest attempt by a big online firm to boost public trust after hefty fines were levied against Facebook and Google for privacy violations in recent years.
鈥淲e believe that products should keep your information for only as long as it鈥檚 useful and helpful to you,鈥� Pichai said in a blog post, adding that the changes are designed to 鈥渒eep less data by default.鈥�
When creating a new Google account, 鈥測our activity data will be automatically and continuously deleted after 18 months, rather than kept until you choose to delete it,鈥� he said.
Current users can already opt in to auto-delete their data every three or 18 months 鈥� a setting that has not changed, although existing users will be reminded of the option to do so.
Smartphone location technology has been in the spotlight as governments study or implement app-based initiatives to prevent the spread of coronavirus, despite concerns over privacy and civil liberties.
Pichai, also head of Google鈥檚 parent company Alphabet, said: 鈥淧rivacy is at the heart of everything we do.鈥�
He detailed other changes, including easier access to privacy settings within apps and to the more secure 鈥渋ncognito鈥� mode.
New users of Google鈥檚 subsidiary YouTube will also have their search data auto-deleted after 36 months, Pichai said.