Last year, Google rolled out auto-delete controls for your location history and web activity, letting you force Google to automatically delete your info after a certain period of time. Now Google is turning on those controls by default for new users.
Google says that starting today, your Location History auto-delete setting will be set to 18 months by default the first time that you turn it on. This feature is off by default. You can also turn it on and change the auto-delete setting to 3 months if you'd like.
Additionally, the Web & App Activity auto-delete setting will be automatically set to 18 months for new users. This setting can also be changed to 3 months manually.
YouTube History is another auto-delete setting that'll be automatically turned on for new users and folks who turn on your YouTube History for the first time. This will default to automatically deleting your YouTube history every 36 months, but there are options for 18 months and 3 months, too.
"We believe that products should keep your information for only as long as it's useful and helpful to you—whether that’s being able to find your favorite destinations in Maps or getting recommendations for what to watch on YouTube," explains Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
These changes only affect new Google accounts and Google says it won't change your settings if you've already got Location History and Web & App Activity turned on. This may be a good time to review your activity settings, which you can find right here.
