Privacy and data concerns continue this year. A recent Associated Press investigation found Google is tracking users location without their permission.
The company is tracking and storing location data from some two billion Android users and hundreds of millions of iPhone users around the world.
Google gives users the option to track their location on apps or devices. It also allows you to pause Location History, supposedly discontinuing to store your whereabouts. But it turns out, by opening google maps, receiving automatic weather alerts on Android devices, and even googling “Chocolate chip cookies” or “kids science kits”, automatically stores a time-stamp of your precise location. Even with location services off.
The company states location is used to improve users experience, but critics say the actual purpose is to boost advertising revenue.
“If they know you go to McDonald’s all the time, you’re going to start to see McDonald’s ads and those ads are very valuable to Google,” says Roger Cheng.
If you want to prevent Google from tracking our location you will need to turn off both “Location History” and “Web and App Activity.”
Steps:
- Go to settings.
- Search for “Location” under data & personalization on Android and “Location Settings” on IOS.
- Select: Turn off “Location History” for accounts and devices.
- Visit the “Activity Controls” page for your Google account.
- Switch “Web and App Activity” off.
