Google Takeout

Google Takeout

The Google Takeout interface
Developer(s) Google
Development status Active
Website takeout.google.com/settings/takeout

Google Takeout (Google Takeaway in some languages) is a project by the Google Data Liberation Front[1] that allows users of Google products, such as YouTube and Gmail, to export their data to a downloadable ZIP 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 elect to export all of the available services or choose services from the above list. Takeout will then process the request and put all the files into a zip file. Takeout then optionally sends an email notification that the export is completed, at which point the user can download the archive from the downloads section of the website. The zip file contains a separate folder for each service that was selected for export. For Google+ Pages data, it will only allow you to export data from pages that you have created, not pages that you manage.

History

Google Takeout was created by the Google Data Liberation Front on June 28, 2011[1] 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.

Takeout started with exports of only Google Buzz, Google Contacts, Google Profile, Google Streams, and Picasa Albums.[1] 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.[2] Later in 2011 on September 6, Google added Google Voice to their export service.[3] A big milestone was the addition of YouTube video exports to Takeout next year on September 26, 2012.[4] Google took another big step with the addition of Blogger posts and Google+ pages on February 17, 2013.[5]

On December 5, 2013, Google Takeout was further expanded to include Gmail and Google Calendar data.[6]

Criticism

While Google has been expanding the services included in Takeout, it still does not allow users to export of some other core Google services. Most notably, these include Google Search history and Google Wallet details. Since 2012 when criticisms were first raised, Google has added Google Hangouts to the Takeout service.[7] Google also does not delete user data after exporting.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Data Liberation Front Delivers Google Takeout". Google. June 28, 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  2. ↑ Crum, Chris (July 15, 2011). "Google Adds +1s to Google Takeout". Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "New on the Menu: Google Voice for Google Takeout". Google. September 6, 2011.
  4. ↑ Lardinois, Frederic (26 September 2012). "Google Adds YouTube Support To Google Takeout, Now Lets You Download Your Original Video Files". Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  5. ↑ Fingas, Jon (February 17, 2013). "Google Takeout now liberating Blogger and Google+ Pages". Engadget. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ Piepmeier, Nick. "Download a copy of your Gmail and Google Calendar data". Official Gmail Blog. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  7. ↑ Null, Christopher (May 21, 2012). "'Liberating' Your Data from Google, and What That Really Means". PCWorld. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
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