Google's New AI Data Training Feature: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Privacy

A recent email from Google announced a significant change in how the company handles user data for AI training. The new feature, part of a global rollout, allows Google to retain and use Search history data, including uploaded media like photos and audio recordings, to improve its AI models. By default, this feature is enabled, and users must opt out to prevent their data from being used. To do so, users can visit the My Activity page, select the Search Services History tab, and uncheck the box next to Save media.

It's essential to take this step, as once the data is used for AI training, it can be stored for up to four years, even if the original activity is deleted. Google claims that this feature helps users get more relevant search results and revisit their searches, including visual and voice searches. However, critics argue that the company should require users to opt in, rather than opt out, to use their data for AI training. The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Thorin Klosowski notes that Google's vast user base and multiple services give it an edge in data collection, but this also creates a sense of complacency among users.

As Ben Winters, director of AI and privacy at the Consumer Federation of America, points out, this change places the onus on users to protect their data, contributing to widespread user exhaustion and feelings of powerlessness. To maintain control over their data, users must be vigilant and take steps to opt out of features like Google's new AI data training.

Source: Wired gear