Overview
- Google has begun rolling out new Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations controls that separate saved Search history from personalization for Search and Google Play.
- The new Search Services History will store media from Search interactions — including images, uploaded files, audio and video — and Google says those saved media items can be used to improve AI models and safety systems.
- For accounts with Web & App Activity turned on, the Save Media option will be enabled automatically after the transition, and Google says training copies of media may be retained for up to four years even if the original activity is deleted.
- Users can opt out by visiting My Activity, selecting Search Services History and unchecking the Save Media box, and they can delete individual items, but the settings are nested and critics say that makes opting out practically difficult.
- Privacy groups warn that default opt-in puts the burden on users, increases privacy fatigue, and could draw regulatory scrutiny, while Google and reporters note the move is driven by the industry need for diverse multimodal data to improve AI performance.