Google is making it easier to access and manage your search data

Users’ Google Search data can now be managed directly from the search engine in a bid to make it easier for them to access their activity.

Previously, people would have to go to the Google Account area to review and manage data, but these controls will now be brought directly to Google Search.

Eric Miraglia, the company’s director of product management, privacy and data protection, said Search is the first in a new strategy to help make it easier for users to make decisions about their data, before moving on to Maps and other Google products next year.

“Without ever leaving Search, you can now review and delete your recent search activity, get quick access to the most relevant privacy controls in your Google account, and learn more about how Search works with your data,” Mr Miraglia said.

The move comes amid increased concern about how the public’s data is handled by big tech companies, most recently in the case of the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Google is also making it quicker to get to the Google Account area from Search, where users can access privacy controls, which include advertising settings and the ability to decide what information Google saves to people’s accounts.

France and Spain have previously fined Google as a result of privacy practices, but the firm avoided a penalty from the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in 2015 over the clarity of its privacy policies.

The improvements will be available on Google Search for desktop and mobile immediately, before rolling out to the Google app on iOS and Android in the coming weeks.