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Google Takeout
Developer(s)Google
Initial release2011
Websitetakeout.google.com

Google Takeout, also known as Download Your Data,[1] is a project by the Google Data Liberation Front[2] that allows users of Google products, such as YouTube and Gmail, to export their data to a downloadable archive file.

Usage

Users can select different services from the list of options provided. As of 24 March 2016, the services that can be exported are as follows:

The user can select to export all of the available services or choose services from the above list. Takeout will then prompt the user to select file type, frequency, and destination, and proceed to process the request and put all the files into an archive file. Takeout additionally sends an email notification when the export is completed, at which point the user can download the archive from the downloads section of the website. The archive file contains a separate folder for each service that was selected for export.

History

Google Takeout was created by the Google Data Liberation Front on June 28, 2011[2] to allow users to export their data from most of Google's services. Since its creation, Google has added several more services to Takeout due to popular demand from users.[3][4][5]

Takeout started with exports of only Google Buzz, Google Contacts, Google Profile, Google Streams, and Picasa Albums.[2] The next month, on July 15, 2011, Google added the export of Google +1's to the list after it was frequently requested by Takeout's users.[6] Later in 2011 on September 6, Google added Google Voice to their export service.[7] A big milestone was the addition of YouTube video exports to Takeout next year on September 26, 2012.[8] Google took another big step with the addition of Blogger posts and Google+ pages on February 17, 2013.[9]

On December 5, 2013, Google Takeout was further expanded to include Gmail and Google Calendar data.[10]

Criticism

Earlier criticisms were raised that Google Takeout did not allow users to export from some core Google services, most notably Google Search history and Google Wallet details.[11] Google has since expanded the service to include search history and Wallet details (September 2016). Google has also added Google Hangouts to the Takeout service. Google also does not delete user data automatically after exporting, they provide a separate service to perform deletion.[12] Google Takeout has also been criticized for keeping the takeout data available for too short a time for many users with large files to easily download everything before the batch expires, in essence "trapping" users with large data and slow bandwidth in Google's services.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Introducing Data Transfer Project: an open source platform promoting universal data portability". Google Open Source Blog. July 20, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018. we now call it Download Your Data
  2. ^ a b c "The Data Liberation Front Delivers Google Takeout". Google. June 28, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  3. ^ "Now offering Docs for Takeout". Data Liberation Blog. January 24, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  4. ^ "Two new services added to Takeout". Data Liberation Blog. November 14, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  5. ^ "A perfect match: Blogger and Google+ Pages for Takeout". Data Liberation Blog. February 14, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  6. ^ Crum, Chris (July 15, 2011). "Google Adds +1s to Google Takeout". Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  7. ^ "New on the Menu: Google Voice for Google Takeout". Google. September 6, 2011.
  8. ^ Lardinois, Frederic (September 26, 2012). "Google Adds YouTube Support To Google Takeout, Now Lets You Download Your Original Video Files". Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  9. ^ Fingas, Jon (February 17, 2013). "Google Takeout now liberating Blogger and Google+ Pages". Engadget. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  10. ^ Piepmeier, Nick. "Download a copy of your Gmail and Google Calendar data". Official Gmail Blog. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  11. ^ Null, Christopher (May 21, 2012). "'Liberating' Your Data from Google, and What That Really Means". PCWorld. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  12. ^ "Download your data - Google Account Help". support.google.com. Retrieved August 7, 2018. Downloading your data does not delete it from Google's servers. Learn how to delete your account or how to delete your searches and browsing activity.
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