Location history data in Google Maps will soon be stored on user devices • Hacker News Board

Re: Location history data in Google Maps will soon be stored on user devices

#191

Post by iggldiggl » Wed, Dec 20, 2023, 11:30 AM UTC

_factor wrote: post #98

modeless wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, but I think the headline is misleading. The data can still be backed up in the cloud. However, it will be end-to-end encrypted. It seems to me like the real issue is the inability of web apps to process end-to-end encrypted data. Are there any web standards efforts to solve this?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homomorphic_encryption

Which is probably rather pointless for that usecase, because you don't want to blindly batchprocess the geodata, you want to interactively display it to the user.

Re: Location history data in Google Maps will soon be stored on user devices

#192

Post by cobertos » Wed, Dec 20, 2023, 6:22 PM UTC

kelnos wrote: post #172

cobertos wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any conflicts with battery optimization? Google's location scraping felt more bulletproof because they seemed to prioritize it at the OS-level on Android over how normal apps function

I've been using OwnTracks for years now with no issues. I disabled battery optimization for it. Granted, I don't have a phone made by a manufacturer that has decided to add garbage to the OS to aggressively kill background apps. Only annoyance is Android has a thing where it doesn't allow apps that start on boot to automatically start getting GPS data, so on every boot you have to tap a notification to kick things of…

Which phone manufacturer is that? I hate having to remember all the apps I disable battery optimization for. I think I currently have like 5 apps or so.

Re: Location history data in Google Maps will soon be stored on user devices

#193

Post by _factor » Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 5:29 AM UTC

iggldiggl wrote: post #191

_factor wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homomorphic_encryption

Which is probably rather pointless for that usecase, because you don't want to blindly batchprocess the geodata, you want to interactively display it to the user.

Google can store the data, compile a list of suggestions from it, and never see it.