[h=2]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32958765[/h]Google has pulled all its privacy and security controls into a single hub.
It says the move is designed to make it easier for people to see and control what data is being gathered about them.
[h=2]Check-up tool[/h]The new hub is called My Account, and it sub-divides the settings into three sections, whose content is presented in what a spokeswoman described as "plain speak":
The campaign group Privacy International has also raised concerns.
"We cautiously welcome the step that Google has taken today. At long last, it is being more forthcoming with users about the information Google retains about them," said Dr Richard Tynan.
"However, the statement and tools seem limited only to information associated with an individual's account.
"It remains to be seen whether Google will be transparent with all the people it collects information on, whether signed in as a user or not, about exactly what information Google collects about them, what can be done with it and how we can discover the totality of information held about our daily lives and interests."
It says the move is designed to make it easier for people to see and control what data is being gathered about them.
[h=2]Check-up tool[/h]The new hub is called My Account, and it sub-divides the settings into three sections, whose content is presented in what a spokeswoman described as "plain speak":
- sign-in and security - this includes account passwords, whether or not two-step verification is switched on, and details about which of Google's apps and other third-party services have access to the user's data
- personal info and privacy - including details of a user's Search and YouTube history - with the ability to delete specific queries, control over what location data is gathered, and the ability to prevent search results and displayed ads from being personalised
- account preferences - including language settings and the ability to remove oneself completely from specific Google services, including Gmail, YouTube and the Google+ social network
The campaign group Privacy International has also raised concerns.
"We cautiously welcome the step that Google has taken today. At long last, it is being more forthcoming with users about the information Google retains about them," said Dr Richard Tynan.
"However, the statement and tools seem limited only to information associated with an individual's account.
"It remains to be seen whether Google will be transparent with all the people it collects information on, whether signed in as a user or not, about exactly what information Google collects about them, what can be done with it and how we can discover the totality of information held about our daily lives and interests."
