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It’s even worse than the headline implies. You couldn’t prevent location tracking unless you disabled the numerous switches in settings and turned off WiFi as

by nojito 5y ago

It’s even worse than the headline implies. You couldn’t prevent location tracking unless you disabled the numerous switches in settings and turned off WiFi as well. The real damning allegation is that location data collected from google maps/apps and non-google apps was siphoned to all other google products through something that is redacted in the court docs. >"So there is no way to give a third party app your location and not Google? That doesn't sound like something we would want on the front page of the NYT Additionally this process was deemed so critical to Google’s overall revenues because of something else that was also redacted. https://www.azag.gov/media/interest/updated-redacted-google-complaint https://www.azag.gov/media/interest/updated-redacted-google-...

jeffbee 5y ago
OK "siphoned" is an opinion. Apple Maps also provides location services to other Apple products on its platform. Unless I disable the switch which is buried at Settings, Privacy, Location Services, System Services, Significant Locations, Apple will "allow your iCloud connected devices to learn places significant to you in order to provide useful location-related information in Maps, Calendar, Photos, and more." If I try to disable it, because I use iOS but I don't use any of those apps, it warns me that "Disabling Significant Locations will affect many Apple apps and services … such as Maps, Do Not Disturb While Driving, CarPlay, Siri, Calendar, and Photos." I'd like to know how that's different.
- nojito 5y ago
  Sorry I wasn't clear, but it was google maps/apps and non-google apps.
- kyralis 5y ago
  That data isn't actually shared with Apple. It's used on device by the client applications for those services.
  - jeffbee 5y ago
    OK, but I don't find the distinction as stark as others on HN seem to. My location data being used by Apple-authored applications running on my device, none of which I've ever intentionally used, is not that different to me than my location data being used on my behalf by Google-written applications, many of which I personally enjoy, running in Google data centers. I like that I can see my location history in Google Maps for web, I also like that I can get that data as KML from Google Takeout.
    - ocdtrekkie 5y ago
      Apple collects location data solely to help you. They've built themselves no financial benefit to collect it, so they keep it only on the device and discard it as much as possible, while still providing all the features users want. If you want a location tracker on iOS, you can install one, but it's not a condition of using their mapping product. Google has a financial incentive to violate your privacy, and all of it's products are designed to serve that goal. So everything that could stay on the device is designed to collect and send data to Google, for their purposes, while they tell you it's to benefit you. It's a very distinct difference, and the entire design of their respective ecosystems reflects that.
      - bozzcl 5y ago
        As an ex-Android user who switched to an iPhone because of privacy concerns, I’d still like sources and hopefully proof for these claims. The more I think about it, the more I suspect trusting another big tech company with my privacy with no material proof other than their word might have been foolish.
        ocdtrekkie 5y ago
        It can be difficult to vet closed source applications, but I think this policy describes a truly stark difference between the two: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212039 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212039 Whereas every location ping is seen by Google as an opportunity to attach data to your account, Apple Maps goes beyond not tying to your account, but regularly trying to make it difficult for them to tie the activity to any sort of cohesive profile entirely.

by nojito 5y ago

jeffbee 5y ago

OK "siphoned" is an opinion. Apple Maps also provides location services to other Apple products on its platform. Unless I disable the switch which is buried at Settings, Privacy, Location Services, System Services, Significant Locations, Apple will "allow your iCloud connected devices to learn places significant to you in order to provide useful location-related information in Maps, Calendar, Photos, and more." If I try to disable it, because I use iOS but I don't use any of those apps, it warns me that "Disabling Significant Locations will affect many Apple apps and services … such as Maps, Do Not Disturb While Driving, CarPlay, Siri, Calendar, and Photos." I'd like to know how that's different.

nojito 5y ago
Sorry I wasn't clear, but it was google maps/apps and non-google apps.
kyralis 5y ago
That data isn't actually shared with Apple. It's used on device by the client applications for those services.
- jeffbee 5y ago
  OK, but I don't find the distinction as stark as others on HN seem to. My location data being used by Apple-authored applications running on my device, none of which I've ever intentionally used, is not that different to me than my location data being used on my behalf by Google-written applications, many of which I personally enjoy, running in Google data centers. I like that I can see my location history in Google Maps for web, I also like that I can get that data as KML from Google Takeout.
  - ocdtrekkie 5y ago
    Apple collects location data solely to help you. They've built themselves no financial benefit to collect it, so they keep it only on the device and discard it as much as possible, while still providing all the features users want. If you want a location tracker on iOS, you can install one, but it's not a condition of using their mapping product. Google has a financial incentive to violate your privacy, and all of it's products are designed to serve that goal. So everything that could stay on the device is designed to collect and send data to Google, for their purposes, while they tell you it's to benefit you. It's a very distinct difference, and the entire design of their respective ecosystems reflects that.
    - bozzcl 5y ago
      As an ex-Android user who switched to an iPhone because of privacy concerns, I’d still like sources and hopefully proof for these claims. The more I think about it, the more I suspect trusting another big tech company with my privacy with no material proof other than their word might have been foolish.
      - ocdtrekkie 5y ago
        It can be difficult to vet closed source applications, but I think this policy describes a truly stark difference between the two: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212039 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212039 Whereas every location ping is seen by Google as an opportunity to attach data to your account, Apple Maps goes beyond not tying to your account, but regularly trying to make it difficult for them to tie the activity to any sort of cohesive profile entirely.