
New Google default wipes users' location, web history after 18 months - pseudolus
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-google-privacy/new-google-default-wipes-users-location-web-history-after-18-months-idUSKBN23V2KX
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mike_n
I'm sure the data is still there on a server somewhere for legal/marketing
reasons, but now the show_history_to_user field is just set to FALSE.

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panpanna
I don't think they have the balls to pull something like that.

If a manager suggest this in a meeting, the legal folks will eat him alive. If
it comes from higher upps, then someone will leak this and that will be the
end of Google.

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flarg
I don't want this! Google location history is a constantly useful part of my
life.

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wilde
Out of curiosity, what do you use it for? I turned mine off after learning
about how Google gives the info to police, and the only thing I miss is being
able to set my home location in Google Maps.

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catsdanxe
Do you really think turning that setting off stops google from collecting it
and giving it to the police?

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sukilot
Yes, obviously.

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panpanna
What I really want is the ability to turn on GPS without allowing Google to
see any data, not even "to improve our services" which is legal speak for
"it's ours now, we can do whatever we want".

I am pretty sure Google is not following GDPR in this regard. You cannot force
people give you data just because they provide an unrelated service (search)
on the same platform.

Edit: to clarify, I want to remove Google maps, install Here or Bing maps it
whatever and that should be enough to not send a single positioning sample to
Google.

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fsflover
So you just need "Maps" app from F-Droid?

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panpanna
I think you missed my point.

GPS is so entangled in the OS that as soon as you enable it ten different
Google services will record and send your positioning data to different
departments at google. But I have ZERO interest in giving anyone my location.
I don't care what cool service you have, not interested sorry.

The problem is that as soon as you _enable_ GPS on Android a dialog is shown
telling you Google will use your data. If you don't agree, GPS will be turned
back off.

(This by itself is a clear GDPR violation, by the way)

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fsflover
I see. Then you need to escape Google with a GNU/Linux phone like Librem 5 or
Pinephone.

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ta17711771
That compromises your security (and therefore privacy) by not taking advantage
of the secure HARDWARE that Google offers,

which is incredible when decoupled from their proprietary spyware and just
used with Android Open Source Project (AOSP), or a variant, like GrapheneOS or
CalyxOS.

