Alert: Google could default the saving of photos and audios after migration; so you can deactivate it and protect your privacy

Google is deploying new privacy controls that separate what it keeps from your search and activity (including Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate and News) from what it uses to customize what you see. In practice this introduces two different controls: Search Services History(to be kept in your account) and Customized Recommendations(if Google uses that data to customize results). Google also introduces a subajuste called Save Medium that you can store images, audio and video resulting from interactions such as visual searches with Lens or voice searches, and after the transition that subajuste can be automatically activated if you have the Web & App Activity option on.

The separation of saving history and enabling customization is an improvement from the point of view of control: it allows, for example, to keep a history to re-search without necessarily accepting that that history feeds recommendations. However, the critical detail is that several of these adjustments may be activated by default after migration especially the option of saving media, which increases the risk that images or recordings you make for a search end up being part of sets that Google can use to improve IA products and models.

From a security and privacy perspective, there are three main implications. First, saved media (photos, audio clips, files) may contain sensitive data- metadata, faces, locations or fragments of conversations - that enrich personal profiles. Second, although Google ensures to apply protections and offers individual or automatic deletion, the responsibility to review and disable lies with the user and many accounts will see changes without explicit prior action. Third, the use of this material to train and improve IA raises questions about consent and traceability: although suppliers often anonymize and filter, users should be able to exclude their data easily.

If you want to check and adjust these controls, enter the activity controls section of your account as soon as possible. https: / / myaccount.google.com / activitycontrols where you will see how the options have been moved or divided. The official help page on Web & App Activity explains what was saved before and how the auto-deleted works: https: / / support.google.com / accounts / answer / 54068. To understand public notification and the context of deployment, you can read security coverage in specialized media such as Bleeping Computer.

As immediate practical measures, it reviews these points: 1) Check if Search Services History and Save Media are activated and, if you don't want to save photos or recordings, disable Save Media; 2) Adjust the self-deleted period for your history or activate the automatic deleted if you prefer to minimize prolonged retention; 3) manually review and remove concrete elements (images, audios, conversations) through My Activity and 4) controls customization by deactivating Personalized Recommendations if you do not want your history to influence ads or suggestions.

Do not forget additional security actions: activate two-step verification, check devices with access to your account and third party apps from https: / / myaccount.google.com / security-checkup, and reduce camera and microphone permissions in the system or apps if you don't want potential media to be captured and associated to your account. It is also good practice to use incognito-mode sessions or separate accounts for sensitive searches where possible.

The fragmentation of controls is essentially positive because it allows more nuanced decisions, but does not eliminate the need for user surveillance. If you have Web & App Activity enabled now, check the new options as soon as possible, because media saving components could be activated automatically; devote ten minutes to reviewing and adjusting these options avoids surprises and reduces the exposure of data that could feed models or systems that you do not control.