Google is rolling out a new privacy setting that expands what the company can save from users' interactions with its search tools. The setting, called Search Services History, controls whether Google retains activity from Search services when a user is signed into a Google Account.
The scope of what can be saved goes well beyond typed searches. According to Fox News, Google says Search Services History can include images users upload, files they ask about, voice searches, Search Live recordings, Translate speaking practice audio, and other interactions with Search services.
The part of the update that has drawn the most attention is a feature called Save Media. When that setting is turned on, Google can save media from Search services interactions. That saved media may then be used to improve Google's AI models and technologies. That means a photo searched through Google Lens, or a voice recording used in a Search feature, could end up contributing to the training of Google's AI systems.
Google says the saved media can be useful to users, helping them revisit past visual searches or continue a Search Live conversation. But the company also acknowledges that saved media may help develop and improve AI models and technologies. Users who want more personalized features may see the arrangement as a reasonable exchange. Users who did not realize their uploaded images and voice recordings could be retained and used for AI training may see it differently.
The kinds of interactions that fall under this policy are ones that many users carry out without much thought. Someone might use Google Lens to identify a plant, upload an image to find a similar product, use Translate to practice a language before a trip, or ask a question by voice while their hands are occupied. Each of those interactions, under the new setting, can be saved and potentially used to improve Google's AI.
Google has not specified how long saved media is retained or exactly how it feeds into AI training processes. Users who want to limit what Google saves will need to navigate into their account settings to find and adjust the Search Services History and Save Media controls.
