If you use Google Maps, Google is tracking you right now. Yes, even if you turned off Location History.
In spite of this, a Google spokesperson told WIRED that "we make sure Location History users know that when they disable the product, we continue to use location to improve the Google experience when they do things like perform a Google search or use Google for driving directions." This apparently refers to a warning that appears if you turn off Location History, which says that it "does not affect other location services on your device.
"Tracking people without their consent and without proper controls in place is creepy and wrong," wrote UC Berkeley graduate researcher K. Shankari in aBeyond creepiness, though, Google's location-tracking may also violate the Federal Trade Commission's consumer protection statutes against deceptive privacy practices. "This really reads like a classic case of an unfairly deceptive business practice.
Google's Location History situation is reminiscent of Facebook's various runnings with the FTC. In 2011, the agencyover the social media giant's inability to keep privacy promises to consumers. As part of that deal, Facebook agreed to a consent decree in which it promised to reform how it tracked and shared user data.
"Google’s reaction—that users can delete individual data points, or users can go deep down in settings and turn off certain web settings that appear to have nothing to do with location, therefore it should be okay, I think fundamentally misunderstands what they’re dealing with," says Butler. "When you’re creating a historical log of someone’s movements over time, that’s information that’s uniquely sensitive and needs to be handled accordingly.
The revelations are likely to touch off a firestorm for Google. For now, the best thing you can do is navigate through your labyrinthine settings, and hit "pause" on something you likely thought you'd already stopped.More Great WIRED Stories
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