Go to your Google account to manage it.

https://myaccount.google.com

1. Start with, "Personal Info"

Check your Basic Info. Do you have information you are comfortable using here? Under each field, there will be a short message from Google explaining the privacy and visibility for each one, such as name and birthdate.

It's always a good idea to have an additional email address listed in this section of your account as well. In case you lose or can't access your primary email address.

It was in this area that I changed our Google business account from our company name to my own name and showed the students how our youtube channel and other services suddenly went from, "TNW Creations" to, "Erin LaVaux Quarles." What a small but powerful change.

2. Move on to, "Data & Privacy"

The easiest way to check your privacy is to select, "Take Privacy Checkup." It's like going to the doctor but the out of pocket can be devastating if you don't pay attention to what data about yourself that you're giving away.

Click through each section under this category and make sure it matches what you expect. Often people will be startled by the surprising data that is exposed.

3. Now check, "Security"

Here you will see your 2FA, devices that are signed in, recovery email addresses and any third parties you've granted access to your Google account.

Every area of this category is crucial to your safety. Make sure you have a strong password, 2FA enabled and recovery email addresses. Look for any sign-ins or devices that don't belong to you and remove and secure your account.

Limit the third party access to your Google account. As any additional third party increases your risks to being data breached, hacked, hijacked.

4. Next look at, "People & Sharing"

In this section, you will see the new Family feature on Google (you should not use this feature if you are using your Google account for business).

Your location, sharing, contacts, blocks and business features. Under People & Sharing, you can click, "Choose what others see" and view information Google has about you that may or may not be visible to others. If you started with, "Personal Info," then you already covered this.

5. Lastly check, "Payments & Subscriptions"

This is definitely not to be an overlooked area. Double check your saved payment information (if any), subscriptions, account storage, purchases, etc.