Over the next year, Google will add direct access to privacy controls from other products including Maps.
Google on Wednesday rolled out new privacy controls in Search, enabling users to review and clear their recent search history directly from the tool.
To review their history, a user just has to go to the menu in the top left corner of the Search page and click on “Your data in Search.” Google is also making it easier to access revelant privacy controls from Search, including Ad Settings to control the ads that pop up during a search. There’s also quick access to Activity Controls, where a user can adjust what information Google saves to their account and uses across Google services.
The new controls are now available in Google Search on desktop and mobile web. They’ll be available in the Google app for iOS and Android in the coming weeks. Next year, Google plans to add direct privacy controls to Maps and other products.
The new features come amid continued scrutiny over Google’s privacy and data handling policies. Last month, for instance, Google took some heat for the way the Chrome browser handled user data. It’s also under scrutiny for its decision to cover up a Google+ data leak instead of going public as most companies do. The company also recently faced questions about who gets access to Gmail content.
