
Google Maps Dark Pattern: Enable Web Activity to Set a Home Address - lenomad
https://imgur.com/HhXAwvq
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dTal
To me the biggest Google Maps dark pattern is "no GPS for you unless you
consent to share your location with us at all times". It was this that
persuaded me to excise Google apps from my phone forever. It drove me crazy
seeing the little satellite icon, and the network connection, permanently
active. No feature is worth your corporate ankle bracelet, thank you very
much.

~~~
bluetidepro
Weird... on iOS you can do "While Using" in the location privacy settings so
it only uses your location when the app is in use (instead of the "Always"
option). It's a bummer that the Android version requires it at all times.

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dTal
Well, you can always switch GPS off. But then nothing can use GPS.

Really, it's an Android sin. You're prompted to agree to the analytics in
Android's settings, when you enable GPS. Maps is just the vector through which
Android collects the actual data.

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Akinato
Yup. I turned off web activity and my home/work checkpoints disappeared. I
always thought that was incredibly scummy and it's what made me really start
questioning the amount of power I was giving Google, if this is how they're
using it. I've been slowly separating myself from their ecosystem. Another
example is how Google doesn't let you turn off the stupid notifications for
Google Assistant / Voice without completely blocking microphone access to
Google.

It's hard not to be hypocritical about all of this as well. I want to protect
my data, but I also want to play Pokemon Go, which is essentially gameified
tracking. My phone already recording my location info and it would be an
insignificant amount of effort to see where I sleep at night.

I feel constantly torn between my desire for privacy and my need to stay
connected in the digital world. As another example, I tried to quit Facebook
and was successful until a D&D group I joined required it's use. It's also one
of the only good online barter/marketplaces since craigslist started having
major issues with scammers, bots, and constant flags.

Essentially, I dislike how good, useful services require the use of other
unscrupulous ones. I have zero clue about any solutions for this one, though.

Edit: Other user was right, I'm not "broadcasting" GPS lol, sorry. It's early.

~~~
rhn_mk1
> My phone already broadcasts a GPS

You really must mean something else, as the only devices broadcasting GPS that
I know about are the GPS satellites and DGPS base stations.

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bluetidepro
This isn't a thing on iOS. Can someone explain more what "Web & App Activity"
means on Android? I don't have an Android device so I don't fully get what
permission that is asking? Is it a common one other apps need? Like maybe it's
a case of bad specific permissions and they have to ask for that even though
they wish they didn't have to do something that generic? I know I've seen that
before for like Github apps, for example. They don't have fine grain
permissions, so you have to ask for more than you need a lot of times.

~~~
lenomad
Web & App Activity is basically the collection of each of your interaction
with Google that was recorded. It includes the list of all websites you
visited while logged in, the time that you opened any app on your Android
phone, the locations that you've visited etc.

It's a pretty scary list when you first see it and can be viewed/managed at
[https://myactivity.google.com](https://myactivity.google.com)

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mnm1
Yup. Switched to Waze partly because of this. I'm sure they collect the data
regardless and Waze is still owned by Google but at least in theory, it should
not collect data. Without laws against it, what's to stop Google from
collecting the data whether or not you agree to it? Nothing.

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Marsymars
Yes, they made this change some years back. (2013, maybe?)

Used to work just fine. _Still_ works fine for driving mode on the Android app
for some reason.

So I've just been typing out a location close to my home address for the past
five years.

~~~
lenomad
I had seen this before, but then it stopped appearing. Turns out I had been
lured into turning web activity back on somehow.

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Spivak
Workaround on Android: create a navigation shortcut called 'Home'.

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luag
You also cant label your saved places without it.

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maxxxxx
This is pretty sleazy and almost impossible to defend.

