Your Gmail account doesn't just have one email address. In fact, it has unlimited addresses, but you need a hack to utilize them. When you're signing up for a new service, you can add another word to your email address, as well as the "+" symbol, to create an alias. For example, if your email is "lifehacker@gmail.com," and you're signing up for an Amazon account, you can use "lifehacker+amazon@gmail.com" as your email address. The email will still end up in your main inbox, as if you simply used lifehacker@gmail.com. Not only can this trick turn one Gmail address into an unlimited number of addresses, but it also helps you identify who sold your email address to spammers, because those emails will have the alias in the "To" field.
If you wish to make your emails more private, you can also link your Proton Mail account to Gmail. This lets you send and receive emails via your Gmail address, while using Proton Mail's privacy protections such as blocking email trackers.
Check session logs and disable unauthorized apps to secure your account
Credit: Pranay ParabGoogle wants to show you personalized search results, which initially feels very helpful, but it also ends up trapping you in an algorithmic bubble. The best way to break out of your search bubble is to periodically use other search engines, but if you wish to stick to Google, you can disable personalized search recommendations in Google Search and the Play Store on Android. Go to this settings page, and turn off Personalized Recommendations and Play Personalization.
Disable web & app activity to stop Google from tracking your location
Google tracks your web and app activity by default, which includes your search history, voice data (if you use the speak-to-search feature), and activity from sites, apps, and devices that use Google services. However, associated information, such as your location data, is also saved to your Google profile, which you might not assume gets included in "Web & app activity." Fortunately, you can disable this tracking by going to this settings page, scrolling down to "Web & App Activity," and turning off all options in this section.
Turn off Timeline to stop Google from sharing your location data
Credit: Pranay ParabTimeline isn't enabled by default, but in case you enabled it a while ago, and are no longer using it, you can turn it off by going to this settings page. Click Turn off, and delete your activity to remove Timeline data from your Google account.
Disable smart features to stop Gmail from offering "Smart Reply" suggestions
While Google claims that it isn't using your emails to train AI, the company does offer AI features that make your emails feel more robotic than human. One of these is "Smart Reply," which offers email reply suggestions such as "Got it. See you soon." I can type that on my own, and I feel uncomfortable with Gmail analyzing the contents of my emails and replies to offer suggestions that I wouldn't use anyway. You can disable this by going to Gmail Settings > General, or by visiting this settings page. Scroll down to "Smart features," and turn off the checkbox next to it. This will disable Smart Compose, Smart Reply, suggestions for pending replies and follow-ups, spelling, grammar, and autocorrect.
Remove your credit card from Google and use a virtual card instead
If you're serious about your online privacy and security, I'd advise against keeping your primary credit card saved to your Google account. If your account is compromised or your device is stolen, you risk exposing your credit card to fraud. Instead, use a prepaid virtual card with your Google account. Sites such as Privacy.com offer single-use or merchant-locked prepaid cards, and they allow you to set spending limits too. You can use such services with your Google account to reduce the chances of losing money if your account gets hacked.
Turn off personal intelligence to stop Google from using your emails and photos for ads
Google uses data from Gmail and Google Drive to target ads, which means that your emails, files, and photos could be used for monetization. To stop this, you'll need to disable Personal Intelligence. To turn it off, visit this settings page, and click Turn off Personal Intelligence.
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