Google announced a new regulation regarding how user interactions are stored within the scope of Search services. According to the information e-mail sent by the company to users, images, files, audio recordings and videos used in Google Search can now be kept under a new setting called “Search Services History”. The change in question attracts attention especially because it expands the scope of data that can be used in the development of artificial intelligence systems.
Within the scope of the new setting, visual searches made with Google Lens, real-time voice interactions made in the Search Live tool, voice call recordings and spoken expressions translated via Google Translate are among the contents that can be stored. According to the information published by Google on its support pages, users will be able to turn off the Search Services History setting if they do not want this data to be saved. In addition, it will be possible to disable the “Save Media” option.
The company states that stored content will not be kept solely for historical viewing purposes. According to Google’s statement, these data can be used to provide, develop and improve services, as well as to train the company’s artificial intelligence models. In addition, personalized recommendations and advertising experiences will also be able to benefit from this data. However, for this to happen, users will need to enable the new personalization setting called “Personalized Recommendations.”
Google Search Services History will work separately from existing settings
One of the changes Google made was to separate the new history system from the existing “Web & App Activity” setting. Previously, various search-related interactions and options for storing voice recordings were included under this section. With the new regulation, Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations settings can be managed independently.
This separation can enable users to more clearly control what data is stored and for what purposes it is used. In addition, Google aims to manage the data obtained from different services by dividing it into more detailed categories. The importance of voice and visual search data has increased significantly in recent years, especially with the spread of artificial intelligence-supported features.
Google also offers some assurances for users who use existing privacy preferences. According to the company’s statement, the Search Services History feature of users who previously prevented the recording of search history through the Web & App Activity setting will automatically remain disabled during the transition period. Thus, a data collection option that users do not want will not be enabled by default.
In addition, personalization preferences will also be moved to the new system. Google states that this transition will be completed gradually over the next few months. While users’ existing settings will be largely preserved, new options will be managed individually through account settings.
Recently, with the development of artificial intelligence-based services, how technology companies collect and use user data has become a subject of more debate. Google’s Search Services History step is also evaluated within this framework. While the company provides access to more data sources to develop artificial intelligence models, it also offers new tools with which users can control their data storage and personalization preferences in more detail. As these changes take effect, users will be able to review their account settings and update their preferences to suit their needs.