{"id":935,"date":"2020-06-06T11:12:16","date_gmt":"2020-06-06T11:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onlineprivacyexpert.com\/?p=935"},"modified":"2021-08-05T06:34:32","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T06:34:32","slug":"youtube-privacy-and-how-to-improve-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onlineprivacyexpert.com\/youtube-privacy-and-how-to-improve-it\/","title":{"rendered":"YouTube Privacy and how to improve it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Youtube is the world’s largest video sharing and viewing platform with billions of users worldwide. Being the second largest website in the world and having a big user base Youtube your public data is also exposed to a lot of people if you use Youtube. And since Youtube is owned by Google your user data is also collected and shared with Google while you are using Youtube. So if you want to make sure that your information is private and your data is secure from malicious entities while using Youtube you should educate yourself about Youtube\u2019s user privacy policy and learn the steps you can take to tighten your Youtube account\u2019s privacy. Some important Youtube privacy-related queries and their answers are as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf How does Youtube deal with user privacy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Youtube data is protected by Google data privacy and security infrastructure. Youtube handles user privacy by encrypting user data, two-factor authentication, surveillance and security of data centers, and restricting access to user data.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf How can you improve your privacy if you use Youtube?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can improve your Youtube privacy by making your Youtube activity private, turning off ad data tracking,\u00a0 delete your watch history, and don\u2019t share personal information in videos if you are a Youtube creator.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf How can you get information removed from Youtube?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can delete your Youtube account using your Google account page.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf How can you find out what information Youtube has about you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can download a copy of your Youtube data to know what information Youtube holds about you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Does Youtube tell you who they share your information with?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, Youtube shares user data with third parties including other Google-owned affiliates, legal entities, and third parties you authorize.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Does Youtube remove user information from third parties?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Youtube and Google share privacy policies Youtube users can remove their data that has been shared with Google. But other third parties have their privacy policies therefore Youtube can\u2019t remove your data from their servers. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Youtube is an essential service for everyone and since using it is evitable it is important to know what options you have regarding your privacy while using Youtube. And this article is going to answer all of the frequently asked Youtube privacy questions to help to be more aware of how you can stay safe while benefiting from this irreplaceable service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does Youtube deal with user privacy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More than 150 countries worldwide recognize now have laws that protect the online privacy of their citizens. The increasing pressure from the governments for better user privacy handling has caused Google to include some serious user privacy protection measures in their services and Youtube is no exception. And since Youtube is a key Google service the user data generated through Youtube is also dealt with the same privacy security infrastructure as other Google services. Youtube user data privacy is ensured with the help of the following measures: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Encrypting user data:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All of the data that you generate from your Youtube account including your contact details or your financial information is sent and stored in Google servers in encrypted form. Encryption of user data makes sure that even if someone intercepts user data while it is being transmitted from the user’s device to Google servers the data will not get leaked as it is going to be in a coded form. Similarly, in case of a data breach at Google data center, your Youtube account information will not be readable by the hackers since it is in coded form. This encryption technique is probably the best way to handle user data privacy since it makes user data inaccessible to unauthorized individuals.     <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Two-factor authentication:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your Youtube account is accessible through your Google account and Google provides its users with the option to turn on two-factor authentication for their account. Two-factor authentication is a great way to protect your account because it requires the user to provide a unique code when logging into your account along with your account password. These features make your Youtube account secure and prevent any unauthorized individuals from accessing your account even if they find out what your Google account password is.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CHIANG MAI, THAILAND – SEPTEMBER 17, 2014: Youtube menu bar webpage view on web browser Apple<\/a> iPad Air device with magnify glass.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Surveillance and security of data centers:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While it is important to secure user accounts and protecting user data from the point it is generated and during transmission, none of these security measures would matter if user data is not stored properly and the storage locations are not well protected. This is why Google employs state of the art security and surveillance measures at the data storage centers to ensure that your Youtube data stays safe from being leaked. Along with physical security and surveillance, firewalls are used to prevent any cyber-attacks and data breaches.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Restricting access to user data:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Employees within Youtube and Google will eventually have to access user data either for maintenance or analysis purposes. But not everyone within Youtube or Google can access user data because the access is strictly restricted to specifically trained individuals whose job involves handling user data. And even these individuals don’t have direct access to copying or modifying user data which makes Youtube user data even more secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you improve your privacy if you use Youtube?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even the best data protection procedures can\u2019t guarantee complete privacy protection and security from cyber attacks. That is why it is important for you as a Youtube user to make sure that your account is secure and you are sharing the least amount of data with Youtube and Google. Some tips for improving your Youtube privacy are as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Making your YouTube activity private:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The videos you like the channels you subscribe to and other Youtube activity that you do with your Youtube account gives a lot of information about you. Therefore if you are concerned about your Youtube privacy it is best to make the videos you like and channels you subscribe to private. You can do that by logging into Youtube\u2019s official website and clicking on your profile picture icon. From the dropdown menu select settings and from the next screen select privacy option from the side menu. Here you will find the option to hide your liked videos, saved playlist, and subscription.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Turning off ad data tracking:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just like any other Google service Youtube collects and shares your data with Google which is then used to show relevant ads to you. But some people are not comfortable with sharing their advertisement data and if you are one of them you can turn off ad tracking for your Google account so Youtube can’t track your data or collect it for advertisement purposes. You can turn off ad tracking for your Google account by logging into your Google account and clicking on your profile photo icon and then clicking on “Manage your Google account”. From the next screen click on the “Data & personalization” option from the side menu and under the \u201cAd personalization\u201d option click on \u201cGo to ad settings\u201d to turn ad personalization off. Now Google won\u2019t be able to collect advertisement data based on your Youtube activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THAILAND – SEPTEMBER 05, 2014: Youtube menu bar application view on youtube app.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Delete your watch history:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Youtube saves your watched history where all of the videos you have watched previously can be found. And just like your Youtube activity your Youtube watch history can also give away a lot of information about you and if you have watched a video you don\u2019t want anyone to find out about you can delete your watch history to prevent anyone from finding out about what you watch on Youtube. You can delete your watch history on Youtube by logging into your Youtube account and then clicking on the “History” option from the side menu. Next on the right side of the screen you can select “Watch history” (Or any other activity history such as previous comments, and search history) and simply select “Clear all history” to delete you watch history on Youtube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Avoid sharing personal information if you\u2019re a content creator:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you post videos on Youtube then you mustn’t share any personal details in your Youtube video content. When you are creating Youtube videos to post on your channel make sure that the videos don’t contain your living address, your location, your ID, your car’s registration number, your contact details, or any other personally identifiable information that might be used to track you by unwanted individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you get information removed from Youtube?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

YouTube is a Google service and luckily Google allows you to delete specific services and their data permanently without deleting your whole Google account and other linked services. You can remove your Youtube account and all of your data associated with it by logging into your Google account and clicking on your Google account profile picture icon and click on \u201cManage your Google account\u201d. From the next screen click on \u201cData and personalization\u201d and under the \u201cDownload, delete, or make a plan for your data\u201d section click on \u201cDelete a service or your account\u201d option. Under the \u201cDelete a Google service\u201d option click on \u201cDelete a service\u201d and after providing your password you can select Youtube from the list of Google services you use and click the delete button to remove your Youtube account and all of your data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you find out what information Youtube has about you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can download a copy of your Youtube data by going to the Google data download portal at https:\/\/takeout.google.com\/<\/a> and deselect all of the Google services data except Youtube data. Then simply click on the next step to select your preferred method of downloading your Youtube data. Next click on \u201cCreate export\u201d to download your Youtube data from Google servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CHIANG MAI, THAILAND – SEPTEMBER 17, 2014: Youtube address bar close up webpage view on web browser Apple iPad Air device with.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Does Youtube tell you who they share your information with?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Youtube shows ads on their content which is the main way Youtube generates revenue. And to do that Youtube has to share your data with Google and other third parties which are listed below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Google-owned affiliates:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Youtube is a key Google product and being a part of Google group of companies it shares user data between other Google affiliates for processing, analysis, and of course for advertisement purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf legal entities:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In case of a legal notice Youtube under Google’s privacy policy is bound to share user data with law enforcement for several purposes ranging from investigating criminal activity to copyright infringement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Third parties you authorize:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you attach your Youtube account with a third party software, website, or browser extension these third parties can access certain information from your Youtube account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Youtube remove user information from third parties?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Youtube and Google share privacy policies not to mention the data storage infrastructure and when you remove your data from Youtube it is also removed from Google’s servers. But when it comes to third-party apps and websites or law enforcement Youtube can\u2019t get your data removed from their servers since they are not obliged to do so under Youtube\u2019s privacy policy and have their own privacy policies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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