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"I've mentioned last year that Google tested a download feature for search history. It looks like this feature is available for everyone. Just go to Google Web History, click the gear button and select "Download". "You can download all of your saved search history to see a list of the terms you've searched for. This gives you access to your data when and where you want," informs Google. "When you download your past searches, a copy of your history will be saved securely to the Takeout folder in Google Drive. You can download the files to your computer if you want a copy on your computer.""

"LIKE it or not, your relationship with Google is becoming a lot more intimate. The company recently expanded its ability to combine data from its various services to create a highly detailed profile on you. Google says it's doing that to simplify its privacy policy and improve your experience on sites such as Gmail, Picasa, Google Plus and YouTube. But there's a business reason, too. Google gets a chance to use the data it collects to tailor ads that align more precisely with your interests, and those personalised ads are among the most lucrative for the company. Before getting too worked up, it's important to understand what's happening.

"Google is a technology giant that provides a huge variety of services, many of which are free. Gmail, Google Drive and Google Hangouts can be used without paying a dime. Instead, pay by providing information about yourself, which Google can use for advertising. Though it started in search, the lion's share of the company's profits come from ads."

A guide to staying safe and secure online from Google Explore quick tips and how-to's that explain what you can do to stay safe and secure on the web. Get advice from parents at Google and family safety experts on how to help your family safely surf the web. Learn how Google helps protect you.

"A few years ago, I was surprised to find out that my friend Peter Eckersley - a very privacy conscious person who is Technology Projects Director at the EFF - used Gmail. I asked him why he would willingly give Google copies of all his email. Peter pointed out that if all of your friends use Gmail, Google has your email anyway. Any time I email somebody who uses Gmail - and anytime they email me - Google has that email."

Google has teamed up with the Citizens Advice Bureau in the UK to launch a new initiative that will see the search giant and the independent charity launch a adverts in newspapers, on public transport and online to promote safer Internet use and help users adopt safer practices when online, The Telegraph reports. The campaign is the first of its kind for Google, which sees the company promote something other than one of its products, but will concentrate on safe password adoption, logging out of web browsing sessions on public computers and increasing only safety by incorporating more elaborate ways to sign-in to an account, to ward of potential attackers.

"Social experiences require multiple players and so does safety. We all need to do our part. These resources are here for teens, parents, and teachers to learn more about how to use Google+ in a fun, smart, and safe way. We're glad you are here! "

here is another very good reason for "Googling" yourself - to find out if any private and sensitive information about yourself and / or your family has ended up online somehow.  Maybe you accidently changed your Facebook privacy settings and your mobile phone number is now public? Or maybe a disgruntled former friend or colleague is bad mouthing you online?  Both of these scenarios have happened to me in the past and speaking from those experiences, I can assure you that these are things you need to be aware about right away so you can do something about it.  At the very least, too much information about you online can lead to a serious risk of your identity being stole

"We recently helped a 17-year-old get a topless photo and fake profile removed from a social networking site. But even though content was deleted, the picture and fake profile lived on as "cached" or archived content in the Google Search index. So the content removal process didn't end with the social networking site. The next step was to submit a request to remove the cached content from Google, called a "content removal request." It's important to note that the picture and fake profile would have naturally dropped out of Google the next time its Web crawler indexed the updated page. But if you want to expedite the removal process, the way the user above did, here's how:"

An article discussing the positives and negatives of Google+. (The author is somewhat biased, which is is acknowledged)

Google touts its new social network as having better privacy controls than others, yet as Audrey Watters reports, they could be doing more. 

Google classroom update

The genius ways kids are using Google Docs to get round social media bans

"Typing your own name into Google may be an eye-opening experience. Even if your personal information isn't easily accessible, your computer may be sharing information about habits, preferences and activities that you'd prefer to keep private. Here's how to keep a lid on what your computer shares about you with strangers."

Google glasses represent the new high spec technology that allows the user to record what they see, mix information from the cloud with what they see, and upload what they see. Concerns for privacy?

We have devised an interactive curriculum aimed to support teachers of secondary students (approximately ages 13-17). The curriculum helps educate students on topics like: YouTube's policies How to report content on YouTube How to protect their privacy online How to be responsible YouTube community members How to be responsible digital citizens We hope that students and educators gain useful skills and a holistic understanding about responsible digital citizenship, not only on YouTube, but in all online activity

"When you search for images directly in Docs, Google ONLY returns images that are licensed for reuse and modification."

Thanks to Lisa Turner for sharing this site!

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