Google launches new Dashboard data controls

Google today launched a new tool enabling users to view all of their Google activity from one place.

Google Dashboard gives a summary of data associated with someone's Google account, be it Gmail, web search history or Google Docs.

In addition to being able to view the data, users can also change settings from this central hub.

Alma Whitten, software engineer on Privacy and Safety at Google, believes this a key step to introduce more transparency and control for its users.

"It's important for people to be aware of what data they have online and to be able to manage that data. Google Dashboard should help to make this a reality," she said in a statement.

The Dashboard was developed by engineering teams based in both Munich and Zurich. It is available in 17 languages so far and can be accessed from the settings page of a Google account.

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.