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New Hub Lets You Tweak Your Google Account Security

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Ever try to investigate your Google privacy settings and fall down an Internet wormhole only to come out the other side more confused than ever? You're not alone.

Google wants to change that. On Monday, it rolled out a new hub for managing your Google privacy settings, as well as a site where you can find answers to privacy and security questions you may have. The new My Account page is designed to be a single place where you can control, protect, and secure your Google account.

From this one hub, you can do things like manage your password, view your account history, change your personal information, and control targeted advertising. The hub also offers privacy and security checkup tools, which will guide you through your most important account settings.

"We've all been there at some point or another ... You just lost your phone and want to wipe your personal information. You attend an event, and you want to share your photos with some people (but not everyone). You hesitate as you download another app that's asking for a lot of information," Google Account Controls and Settings Product Manager Guemmy Kim wrote in a blog post Monday.

"Every day, we make choices that affect our privacy and security online," Kim continued. "Most people, however, don't feel they have the right level of control to make these important decisions."

From My Account, you can also view and control which apps and sites are connected to your account, download an archive of your data from Google products, tweak your accessibility settings, or just flat out delete your account if you so choose.

Alongside the My Account hub, Google has also launched a new site where you can find answers to common privacy and security questions, such as "What data does Google collect? What does Google do with the data it collects? What tools do I have to control my Google experience?"

"We also explain how we show relevant ads without selling your personal information, how encryption and spam filtering help keep your data safe, and how your information helps customize your experience on Google," Kim wrote.

Meanwhile on the security front, Facebook today announced it is gradually rolling out an "experimental" new security feature that lets people add Open PGP public keys to their profile, which provide end-to-end encryption for notification emails send from Facebook to your email account. The social network said this will "provide greater assurance that the contents of inbound emails are genuine."

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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