Google makes it easier to delete your search history

Google is starting to implement some long-overdue changes to how its services handle user data. Following the recent Google+ fiasco, the company announced "Project Strobe" – a root-and-branch review of what user data developers have access to, and how are users notified about it.

In an effort to allow users a greater degree of control over their privacy, the company is introducing an easier, quicker way to wipe your search history within Google search itself. You can easily delete your local browsing history, but the data that's logged on Google's servers is not so easy to get rid of. Similar controls have been available on the Google Account page for years, but they are inconveniently buried in a settings page that not all users are going to see.

Starting today, on both mobile and desktop, you can review and clear your recent search history within Google search itself. With the update, Google is also making it easier to access controls for disabling ad personalization and preventing Google sites from saving activity.

The changes are going live in Search on desktop and mobile, while the Google app itself is expected to get the update on Android and iOS in the coming weeks.

source: Google via TheVerge