Google Maps Now Shows You Where You've Been

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
How many of you out there like this idea? It's kinda like Google Maps is your creepy stalker ex-girlfriend. ;)

Have you ever wanted a way to easily remember all the places you’ve been -- whether it’s a museum you visited during your last vacation or that fun bar you stumbled upon a few months ago? Well, starting today, Google Maps can help. We’re gradually rolling out Your Timeline, a useful way to remember and view the places you’ve been on a given day, month or year.
 
Google has been tracking your location for a while now. Why is this news?
 
If a place I've been is worth remembering, I will remember it. One of the benefits of staying sober! If I don't remember it, it wasn't worth remembering!

I don't need Big Brother Google telling me where I've been.
 
Handy if you're in a Hangover movie. Otherwise Google is just looking to sell info to the feds I think. Or your ex-wife. Or soon to be ex-wife.

Coming soon, Google GPS tracker enabled in every device you own!
 
I'd rather be able to plan a trip on my PC and load it into Google Maps on my phone with navigation.
 
Now when the police confiscate your cell phone and download all the data from it... wait n/m they already could find out where you've been.
 
mzs_biteme said:
It's HUGE news, as this time they're sharing that data with YOU TOO, as opposed to just selling it to the highest bidder...;)
Click to expand...

What? I've been able to view the locations I've been for over a year and a half now. Again this isn't news.
 
my friend left location tracking on, on his phone.

google was telling him it was time to go home.

nope.

have not and will not turn on location reporting.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Now when the police confiscate your cell phone and download all the data from it... wait n/m they already could find out where you've been.
Click to expand...

newsflash the police don't need Google's help for that
 
mzs_biteme said:
It's HUGE news, as this time they're sharing that data with YOU TOO, as opposed to just selling it to the highest bidder...;)
Click to expand...

Google doesn't sell to anybody. Why would they? Your data is more valuable if they keep it for themselves. Remember you are how they make their money. Why sell that to a competitor?

Skillz said:
What? I've been able to view the locations I've been for over a year and a half now. Again this isn't news.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Google gives you really good control over your data a fact a lot of people ignore or don't know about.
 
my biggest problems with this are:

1) it is not made evident by Google that they are doing this, and it takes some digging to find the settings, if you even know to look for them in the first place. unfortunately not everyone is like we electronics/computer enthusiasts, and they don't spend a lot of time looking through each & every setting...and to be fair, sometimes the wording of the settings is not very clear as to adequately describe what the setting actually does.

2) this uses your mobile network to upload the location data to Google's servers, unless you have specifically turned this off. this is a problem for those who are on plans with a monthly data limit. and again, you have to know that this is happening in the first place in order to even know you need to turn it off....see #1.

3) this uses battery life, and - you guessed it - you have to know that this is happening in the background in the first place in order to disable it and prevent it from using that battery life. see #1 again.

4) even if you do want to use this feature, there is not any real form of local security to the data...no way to set a secure password or PIN code to protect anyone who has physical access to the device from being able to get at the data. a lock screen helps, but i personally don't like using a lock screen on my phone because it keeps me from being able to access apps as fast as i like. it would be great if app developers would take it upon themselves to at least provide the option for you to set a password/PIN locally on the app, the way banking & financial apps do. that would give people like me so much more freedom to use their device the way they want to, but still be secure in the fact that no one else who happens to come across your device while it's not in your own possession should be able to access your private data while exercising that freedom.

"features" like these should be disabled by default in order to prevent any accidental divulgence of someone's data without their knowledge, with a notice upon initial login to your Google account on your device that this feature exists, and prompts you to either leave it disabled, or enable it after detailing any potential downsides to doing so (battery life, data usage, possible data retrieval by someone other than themselves, etc.).
 
xXaNaXx said:
my biggest problems with this are:

1) it is not made evident by Google that they are doing this, and it takes some digging to find the settings, if you even know to look for them in the first place. unfortunately not everyone is like we electronics/computer enthusiasts, and they don't spend a lot of time looking through each & every setting...and to be fair, sometimes the wording of the settings is not very clear as to adequately describe what the setting actually does.

2) this uses your mobile network to upload the location data to Google's servers, unless you have specifically turned this off. this is a problem for those who are on plans with a monthly data limit. and again, you have to know that this is happening in the first place in order to even know you need to turn it off....see #1.

3) this uses battery life, and - you guessed it - you have to know that this is happening in the background in the first place in order to disable it and prevent it from using that battery life. see #1 again.

4) even if you do want to use this feature, there is not any real form of local security to the data...no way to set a secure password or PIN code to protect anyone who has physical access to the device from being able to get at the data. a lock screen helps, but i personally don't like using a lock screen on my phone because it keeps me from being able to access apps as fast as i like. it would be great if app developers would take it upon themselves to at least provide the option for you to set a password/PIN locally on the app, the way banking & financial apps do. that would give people like me so much more freedom to use their device the way they want to, but still be secure in the fact that no one else who happens to come across your device while it's not in your own possession should be able to access your private data while exercising that freedom.

"features" like these should be disabled by default in order to prevent any accidental divulgence of someone's data without their knowledge, with a notice upon initial login to your Google account on your device that this feature exists, and prompts you to either leave it disabled, or enable it after detailing any potential downsides to doing so (battery life, data usage, possible data retrieval by someone other than themselves, etc.).
Click to expand...

You apparently have never setup an Android device before. Everything you talk about is asked during the initial setup. Right then and there the user has the ability to disable location services or deny Google access to their location. Google also makes it very clear right there that sharing your location sends data to them. If a user is too stupid to realize that means cellular data well then take the smartphone from the user.

If you deny Google access to location services or disable location there if you open Google Maps it asks all those questions again.

As for finding it...Google Settings -> Location or Settings -> Location. That was HARD! :rolleyes:

Oh look...at the bottom of the Location menu -> Google Location History. Oh neat I can turn that off and delete it all if I so desire. :eek:

I don't think they can make it much easier. If an OEM screws that up that's on the OEM not Google.

You do realize that even if you have a PIN/Pattern on your phone if you don't encrypt the phone and someone has physical access to it they could get the data anyways? Your desire for a PIN on every app won't protect anything.
 
Master_shake_ said:
my friend left location tracking on, on his phone.

google was telling him it was time to go home.

nope.

have not and will not turn on location reporting.
Click to expand...

Lol paranoid much? I have Home and Work locations set so when Google figures out "oh he leaves the work location and goes home around 5:30 every day for the past 3 weeks" it starts to give you notifications. Around 4:30-5 my phone sends a notification letting me know how long it will take to drive home in the current conditions or if there is an alternate faster route which I think is really helpful. Google location tracking has been around for years although it used to just be called Location History so I guess they're rebranding the product. I think it's pretty neat to see where I have been the past 6 years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top