Google recently released a new feature that allows its users to download their complete search history. This log file also contain Google search histories made through computers and mobile phones.
According to Chicago Tribute, the feature was quietly rolled out in January. The entries recorded in the log are those that were made when the user is signed on their Google account. Additionally, searches made when in Incognito Mode are also not included.
If users wants to download their entire search history, all they need to do is log in their Google account and the option is available on the Web History page. A two-step verification is needed in order to avoid users from downloading this private information on public computers, according to Time.
The log files are in JSON format, which is entirely unreadable to the untrained eye. However, if the user opens the file on a text-editing app they will be able to see entries with a prefix query_text. Entries that contain this prefix are the keywords used by the user in making searches through Google.
For some users this new feature from Google sounds terrifying and some might even consider it as a violation of their online privacy. Users who don't want their search history to be archived has the option to completely delete the entries.
According to many industry analysts, this archived search entries help Google in determining the best results when a user performs a search using its search-engine. By using data from the user's search history, Google can give out more relevant search results.