Google is rolling out a new privacy setting called Search Services History that, by default, saves users' media uploaded via Search — including Google Lens images, voice recordings, and Translate interactions — to train its AI models. According to a WIRED report by Reece Rogers, the change is part of a global rollout over the next few months and was already enabled on the author's account when first visited. For enterprise users who manage corporate Google accounts, this raises data governance questions: any employee using Google Search may have their media silently fed into AI training pipelines.
What Data Is Being Collected?
Google's description on the My Activity page, as quoted by WIRED, states: “Your saved media includes your images, files, and audio and video recordings from your interactions with Search services. This includes things like Google Lens images, recordings from Search Live or Translate speaking practice, content you upload, and voice searches.” The data is used to improve Google's AI models, which need diverse input types beyond text.
How to Opt Out
Enterprise users should follow these steps to disable the feature and delete existing activity:
| Action | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Turn off Search Services History | Google My Activity page → Search Services History tab | Toggle off the entire setting |
| Uncheck 'Save media' | Same tab | Prevents future media uploads from being used for AI training |
| Delete past activity | Same tab | Removes saved media; note that training data based on that media can be retained for up to 4 years |
According to WIRED, a pop-up when turning off the feature warned: “If your saved media is used to train our AI models, it is disconnected from your Google Account. This training data will be kept for up to 4 years, even if you delete the original activity.”
The Default-On Question
Davis Thompson, a Google spokesperson, told WIRED via email: “These new settings help users get more relevant results and revisit their searches—including visual and voice searches—and they can be turned on or off at any time.” He did not answer WIRED's question about why the feature is enabled by default. If a user previously disabled Web & App Activity and Search Personalization, the new setting would be off, but otherwise it is automatically turned on.
Thorin Klosowski, a senior security and privacy activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) , commented on the broader industry trend: “I think ‘opt in’ is really asking the bare minimum of these companies. Asking their users to consciously choose to enable these features is the least they can do.” He added that Google's reach across multiple services gives it a “unique spot” in data collection, and that user inertia makes it unlikely people will switch away even if they dislike the change.
Implications for Enterprise Technology Leaders
For CTOs and digital transformation leaders, this update highlights the importance of regularly auditing Google account settings for all corporate users. The fact that training data persists for up to four years even after deletion of original activity means that sensitive business information — such as images of documents or voice recordings — could remain in Google's AI training set long after an employee leaves or data is removed. While Google states training data is disconnected from the user's account, the retention window is substantial.
Google's competitive advantage in AI is partly built on this data diversity: as Klosowski noted, Google's vast user base across many services gives it a data-collection edge. Enterprise users who rely on Google Workspace or Google Search need to decide whether the convenience of personalized search results outweighs the privacy risk of having their media used for AI training.
For now, the remedy is straightforward: visit myactivity.google.com, choose Search Services History, disable the toggle, and uncheck Save media. But as Klosowski argues, the burden should not be on the user — companies should ask for opt-in consent rather than forcing opt-out.
Sources:
