Police won’t be able to track which users were near a crime - Google Maps Update
Alphabet Inc.'s google is changing its Maps service so that it no longer has access to individual users' location history, thus limiting its ability to comply with law enforcement requests demanding location data on everyone near a crime scene. The Maps Timeline function, which runs through the Location history option, assists with remembering visited locations.
Users who enable Location history, which is turned off by default, will soon have their Timeline data kept directly on their device, giving them greater control over their data, according to a blog post published thursday by the tech giant. Users may delete individual information or disable the option altogether at any time, just like under the old system, it added. Law enforcement would be unable to obtain location information from google if the data was saved on the user's device.
According to a Bloomberg Businessweek investigation, authorities in the united states often use warrants to get location and search data from google, a tendency that has been noticed even in nonviolent instances involving persons unrelated to the crimes at issue. "Your location information is personal," stated Marlo McGriff, google Maps' director of product, in a blog post. "We're committed to keeping it safe, private, and in your control."
Furthermore, when you first enable Location history, the default auto-delete setting will now be set to three months, eliminating any data older than that. This option was previously set at 18 months. If you want to keep memories on your Timeline for a longer length of time, google says you may alter the period or turn off auto-delete settings completely.
Furthermore, when you first enable Location history, the default auto-delete setting will now be set to three months, eliminating any data older than that. This option was previously set at 18 months. If you want to keep memories on your Timeline for a longer length of time, google says you may alter the period or turn off auto-delete settings completely.