To provide people with reassurance regarding the safe collection of user data, Google has created a new website which compiles all the settings and permissions that users have for Google services in one location.
The new website is called My Account, and it gives users access to a simplified version of all their settings, allowing them to make changes where they see fit. The My Account page also links to another new page that focuses on the privacy that users have with the information collected by Google, with common questions surrounding the issue being answered as plain and understandable as possible.
The My Account page was born due to statistics revealed by a recent Pew study, wherein 93 percent of respondents believe that it is important for users to control how services and websites access their personal information and 90 percent of respondents care about which kinds of information are being collected about them. However, the study also states that only 9 percent have a feeling of a lot of control over how their personal information is accessed, and Google wanted, simply, to change that.
On their My Account page, users can choose to take checkup tests for their online security and privacy, which is a pair of simple and step-by-step tutorials which takes users through the most important security and privacy settings.
Users can also manage all the information that can be accessed and used by services such as Maps, Search and YouTube. As an example provided by Google, users can choose to allow access by App Activity and Web to provide better results on Search, and users can choose to allow access by Google Now and Google Maps for better directions while travelling. Some users, however, may not be comfortable with Now tracking their every movement, at which case the service can be prevented from accessing that certain information about the user.
On the page, users can also take control of the advertisements being displayed to them by accessing the Ads Settings tool, to allow advertisements to cater to them depending on their searches and interests.
The My Account page also provides users with a snapshot on which websites and apps are connected to their Google accounts, allowing users to unlink websites and apps which are no longer being visited or used as that could compromise the security and privacy of their Google account.
"Today's launches are just the latest in our ongoing efforts to protect you and your information on Google," Google wrote on the blog post announcing the new websites, adding that there will be more to come.
