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Google tracks users who turn off location history

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Google tracks users who turn off location history

#81

Post by Lendal »

zepto wrote: post #42
russellbeattie wrote: post #33

"Turning off" location history == Don't show me my location history. It's not like Google (or Apple) is going to actually stop tracking you. I love showing iPhone users the section in Settings where all their location history is. Most have no idea it's there.

The iPhone location history is on your iPhone not at Apple. And Apple doesn’t track you. They cycle identifiers regularly for exactly this reason. Spreading falsehoods about this being something everyone does is harmful because it normalizes the abusive behavior from those that actually do.

The reason the location history is not local is because the data is for Timeline, a feature of Google Maps which has its own web site. If the data were only local, I wouldn't be able to use a web browser on my computer to peruse my Timeline and photos from my phone. It would be broken.

Re: Google tracks users who turn off location history

#82

Post by fasteddy760 »

distortedsignal wrote: post #53
hashr8064 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Suggestions are welcome for good alternatives, I'm in the move away myself. Here's some services I've started using, in many areas I'm still looking for other replacements. Hopefully others can help. 1. E-Mail : protonmail.com, I really like this one, great service. 2. Video Calls : I'm currently using signal to some extent, not very happy though, would really like something like Hangouts. 3. Browser : Firefox 4. P…

For video calls, you should try zoom.us. From what I've seen, they have the best streaming infrastructure of any of the major players (FaceTime, Hangouts, Webex, GoToMeeting). Apps for all the major platforms, too. The only bad thing is that if you're on a multi-way call, they limit you to 40 minutes.

> The only bad thing is that if you're on a multi-way call, they limit you to 40 minutes.

40m limit is for free accounts. Paid will get you video calls as long as you want to go.

Besides some needed minor UI tweaks, I love Zoom.

Re: Google tracks users who turn off location history

#83

Post by StavrosK »

323454 wrote: post #58
hashr8064 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Suggestions are welcome for good alternatives, I'm in the move away myself. Here's some services I've started using, in many areas I'm still looking for other replacements. Hopefully others can help. 1. E-Mail : protonmail.com, I really like this one, great service. 2. Video Calls : I'm currently using signal to some extent, not very happy though, would really like something like Hangouts. 3. Browser : Firefox 4. P…

I've used Signal for a while and I think it's great although admittedly I don't use video calls on it very often (mostly because the people I need to video call are mostly not on Signal). For Drive the best alternative I've found is Dropbox. It's not free but at least the business model isn't (yet) about monetizing your data.

I tried Signal the other day to call a friend in the US from Greece and was blown away by the quality. It was as if I was using a landline to call someone in my city, it was amazing. Even the latency was nonexistent, which I don't know how it happened since they're bound by the speed of light.

Re: Google tracks users who turn off location history

#84

Post by herodotus »

It is becoming too easy to pick on Google. There are many Web apps that use location. BestBuy, just to pick one arbitrary example, will ask permission to discover my location in order to show me my nearest stores. This is, of course, very useful, and I am happy this service exists. What I do not know is whether or not BestBuy or many other companies are sharing this information with other companies. My assumption is that BestBuy et. al are using a middleware web service, and that company probably makes money selling location information to advertisers.

For me it is just depressingly hopless: as soon as I go on the Internet of phone network, I have given up a lot of privacy.

Re: Google tracks users who turn off location history

#85

Post by StavrosK »

hashr8064 wrote: post #46
323454 wrote: post #40

To add one datum, I turned off location history thinking that meant that Google would use my _current_ location for Maps, Search etc while not storing my _past_ locations. Their interface and messaging did not succeed in dissuading me from this belief, despite the fact that I was explicitly looking for messaging and settings related to protecting my privacy. Was I naive to believe this was even possible in the first…

> Suggestions are welcome for good alternatives, I'm in the move away myself. Here's some services I've started using, in many areas I'm still looking for other replacements. Hopefully others can help. 1. E-Mail : protonmail.com, I really like this one, great service. 2. Video Calls : I'm currently using signal to some extent, not very happy though, would really like something like Hangouts. 3. Browser : Firefox 4. P…

For file syncing, I recommend Syncthing and/or Nextcloud (they're slightly different, Syncthing syncs directories peer-to-peer extremely well, Nextcloud is an OSS Dropbox alternative).

Re: Google tracks users who turn off location history

#86

Post by pacala »

jonknee wrote: post #62
pacala wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For weather, I use 2 mechanisms: a. I setup IPhone weather app to my home town location. Works 95% of the time, I'm not traveling that much. b. Search for " weather" when I'm traveling. Browser autocomplete makes this trivial. Fairly easy and doesn't feed Google with a stream of personalized location information. === A day in the life of a BigAdCo surveillance apologist: 1. Claim it's obviously easy to disable the tr…

Yes, you can manually set cities, but the article cites automatic weather updates. That's the part that requires your location. Knowing where you are is the only way this feature can work. You don't need to use it and if you're happy with "browser autocomplete" vs a widget that shows the current weather then by all means use the browser.

> Knowing where you are is the only way this feature can work.

I'm 100% confident that IPhone weather app updates automatically the weather for my home town. It doesn't need my personalized location, just the location for my home town.

Re: Google tracks users who turn off location history

#87

Post by Lendal »

dnomad wrote: post #35
pacala wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Read the article. What are the "clear descriptions and robust controls" to turn off the following Google location tracking behaviors: > Google stores a snapshot of where you are when you open the Maps app > Automatic weather updates on Android phones pinpoint roughly where a user is > Searches that have nothing to do with location pinpoint precise longitude and latitude of users

Yeah, duh. None of that happens if you turn off Location on your phone. This is all made abundantly clear in the UI and explained with dialogs and warnings. At what point does this sort of clickbait get dismissed? What's the next headline? GOOGLE STORES YOUR ENTIRE ADDRESS BOOK ?

Exactly. Google also sends all the data from all your contacts back to Google so they can publish it to the entire world including to China!

(To that portion of the world that knows your Gmail account and password, and if you were traveling in China and accessing your email account then yeah your contacts would also be transmitted to China.)

I just can't believe the higher-quality clientele that used to be Hacker News are eating this up like this. I guess we're all human after all.

Re: Google tracks users who turn off location history

#88

Post by vesinisa »

l9k wrote: post #41
vesinisa wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a regrettable, yet a sadly common view. "If you use products by Company X, you must understand they gather an immerse personal profile on you - like it or not. That's just how Company X works! If you don't like that, use a competing product." Companies are not above law, and the gathering and use of personally identifiable information is regulated for a very good reason in our society (I don't think many Amer…

That's actually regrettable, I agree. What's more regrettable in my opinion is that piece is inflated in comparison to something like the Equifax scandal because: 1. This is a service you opt in to use (there's competition), you can opt-out off the tracking in 3 clicks, and your data is safe (so far) 2. Equifax leaked the SSN of millions who haven't even subscribed to their service Anyway, I agree, we can still impro…

> you can opt-out off the tracking in 3 clicks, and your data is safe (so far)

Yes, if you know where to click! But would you have known without reading this that disabling "Location History" does not actually .. well .. disable location history?

Re: Google tracks users who turn off location history

#89

Post by pacala »

tokyodude wrote: post #78
zepto wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The iPhone location history is on your iPhone not at Apple. And Apple doesn’t track you. They cycle identifiers regularly for exactly this reason. Spreading falsehoods about this being something everyone does is harmful because it normalizes the abusive behavior from those that actually do.

If Apple doesn't track me then why does icloud.com force me to re-login every time I switch which country I'm in? How would they know I moved countries (plane/vpn) if I weren't remembering where I was previously?

IP

Re: Google tracks users who turn off location history

#90

Post by godshatter »

Lendal wrote: post #75
323454 wrote: post #40

To add one datum, I turned off location history thinking that meant that Google would use my _current_ location for Maps, Search etc while not storing my _past_ locations. Their interface and messaging did not succeed in dissuading me from this belief, despite the fact that I was explicitly looking for messaging and settings related to protecting my privacy. Was I naive to believe this was even possible in the first…

The location history setting is for Timeline, a feature that lives inside Google Maps app. I use Timeline often and find it useful. I hope all the FUD you people are spreading about it does not force Google to get rid of the Timeline feature. Maybe in the future they'll include a lengthy explanation next to that switch for the fearful among us.

I'm glad you like and want to use this functionality. I don't. Hopefully we can coexist simply by my turning off my location services and history.
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