Google Eyes Account Activity Through New Service

Is Big Brother watching you? Maybe not, but Google is.

The tech giant launched a new service on Thursday called “Account Activity,” which helps users keep tabs on their own activity on the web when using Google’s products.

The service provides users with access to a monthly password-protected report with insights into how account holders used Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) services, including search and email trends.

For example, last month’s report of Google product manager Andreas Tuerk, showed that he sent 5% more email than the previous month and received 3% more. He conducted 12% more Google searches and his top queries reflected the vacation he was planning to Rome.

The company said it plans to incorporate more Google services into the tracking system over the next few months.

While it may be fun to track how many times someone searched for Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga in four weeks, the service isn't all fun and games.

Google said the insight into activity can help protect accounts from intruders.

If sign-ins are coming from odd locations or unfamiliar devices, people can enable the two-step verification process that provides extra security to accounts by integrating pass codes sent directly to mobile phones.