Check your Google settings NOW to make sure your home address isn’t public
It's time to do a cybersecurity spring-clean
STAYING safe on Google is easy if you have the right settings – so make sure you're not accidentally exposing your home address.
Having the wrong Google settings can sometimes reveal your exact movements, so we've put together a simple guide to the correct settings you need to stay private.
We recommend checking bookmarking this page and checking back over this list every so often to make sure you're still safe.
It's also worth going through Google's to ensure you have the best possible security on your account.
Make sure your Google Account doesn't have your address
Tagging your address on your Google Account can show it up publicly.
It's possible to set it as private, but we recommend removing it completely just to be safe.
To do this, follow the below link and remove your address (if it's on there):
However, note that it's absolutely fine for you to list your "Home" address in Google Maps – as this isn't shared onwards.
Make sure 'Your Places' in Google Maps are private
In Google Maps, it's possible to tag various locations as "favourites" or "want to go".
Turn off Google Location History
Google's Location History is an account-wide service that tracks your movements using your smartphone – to give you more detailed advice.
But not everyone wants Google to keep an ongoing record of their movements.
That's why Google Location History is turned off by default, and is only activated with your permission.
However, it's common for users to accidentally enable Google Location History through the Google Maps app, without realising exactly what they've signed up to.
There are several ways to check your own Google Location History. The easiest way is to follow the link to the Google Maps Timeline page:
This lets you see exactly where you've been on a given day, even tracking your methods of travel and the times you were at certain locations.
Unfortunately, these location markers are intermingled with a host of other information, so it's tricky to locate (and delete them).
To turn it off, simply click the above link then head to Activity Controls.
From there, you'll be able to turn off Web & Activity Tracking across all Google sites, apps and services.
Google recently apologised for hiding secret microphones in Nest home cameras.
Check out the 10 secret Google Maps locations you're not allowed to see.
Beware the Google Maps scam that could leave your bank account empty.
Do you think your cybersecurity is top notch? Let us know in the comments!
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