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Maybe a bit contrarian but unless law enforcement is abusing this I think it's good for Google to share this info. I want to live in a society where criminals a

Maybe a bit contrarian but unless law enforcement is abusing this I think it's good for Google to share this info. I want to live in a society where criminals are caught.

throwaway14356 3y ago
With everyone carrying a phone things are getting increasingly silly. The convincing part to me is the bad guys increasingly sophisticated use of technology. They know exactly where the victims are 24/7 (if they want to)
_8j50 3y ago
You would like China then. In the US and most of the west, governments derive their power from the governed, which means their ability to investigate crime is at the consent of the governed as well. It is due to the law not catching up to technology that google has been allowed to share that information. If cops need information to catch criminals they should get warrants. No company can refuse such a request so long as a magistrate reviews it as being a lawful pursuit of justice.
- hilbert42 3y ago
  "...is due to the law not catching up to technology..." Tragically, it's not only in this area that governments are woefully behind. Smart operators and Big Tech are so far ahead in the IT/communications game that dismantling many of the most egregious aspects of it will be nigh on impossible. Users are now addicted to so-called free services etc. to such an extent that weening them off them just isn't practical. Even if governments were now 100% committed to fixing the problems—which they aren't by a long shot—then it'd still take many decades to fix.
eviks 3y ago
That's not contrarian, this is an extremely common ignorant view similar to "nothing to hide" (of course they are abusing it and not catching themselves)
netsharc 3y ago
This is an extreme example, but: Like the crime of wanting to save your own life? [1] Edit: forgot to add how abortion is related to location data: after the "Christian" Talibans made abortion illegal, location data became subpeonable to see if someone visited an abortion clinic, if you tracked your periods on an app, this data too, because if you stopped having periods and a few months later it resumed, is that enough proof for a criminal conviction? Funny to think how the tech companies are slowly realizing, maybe even their 50 domestic markets have regimes that are not liberal democracies, and can abuse laws... For a more elaborate answer, watch this video: [2], TL;DW your democracy might not last and despots could take over and actually abuse the data they have on you. MAGA 2024, anyone? I mean the whole red states/Taliban-esque "we own women's body" laws is already plenty of steps in that direction... [1] https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/texas-woman-sought-court-permission-abortion-leaves-state-105559359 https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/texas-woman-sought-c... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9_PjdU3Mpo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9_PjdU3Mpo
- FireBeyond 3y ago
  > after the "Christian" Talibans made abortion illegal, location data became subpeonable to see if someone visited an abortion clinic Above and beyond that, thinking ahead to people traveling for healthcare, Missouri and a few other states are or already have enacted a crime of "conspiracy to commit abortion", which means as little as booking flights or hotel.

Maybe a bit contrarian but unless law enforcement is abusing this I think it's good for Google to share this info. I want to live in a society where criminals are caught.

throwaway14356 3y ago

With everyone carrying a phone things are getting increasingly silly. The convincing part to me is the bad guys increasingly sophisticated use of technology. They know exactly where the victims are 24/7 (if they want to)

_8j50 3y ago

You would like China then. In the US and most of the west, governments derive their power from the governed, which means their ability to investigate crime is at the consent of the governed as well. It is due to the law not catching up to technology that google has been allowed to share that information. If cops need information to catch criminals they should get warrants. No company can refuse such a request so long as a magistrate reviews it as being a lawful pursuit of justice.

hilbert42 3y ago
"...is due to the law not catching up to technology..." Tragically, it's not only in this area that governments are woefully behind. Smart operators and Big Tech are so far ahead in the IT/communications game that dismantling many of the most egregious aspects of it will be nigh on impossible. Users are now addicted to so-called free services etc. to such an extent that weening them off them just isn't practical. Even if governments were now 100% committed to fixing the problems—which they aren't by a long shot—then it'd still take many decades to fix.

eviks 3y ago

That's not contrarian, this is an extremely common ignorant view similar to "nothing to hide" (of course they are abusing it and not catching themselves)

netsharc 3y ago

This is an extreme example, but: Like the crime of wanting to save your own life? [1] Edit: forgot to add how abortion is related to location data: after the "Christian" Talibans made abortion illegal, location data became subpeonable to see if someone visited an abortion clinic, if you tracked your periods on an app, this data too, because if you stopped having periods and a few months later it resumed, is that enough proof for a criminal conviction? Funny to think how the tech companies are slowly realizing, maybe even their 50 domestic markets have regimes that are not liberal democracies, and can abuse laws... For a more elaborate answer, watch this video: [2], TL;DW your democracy might not last and despots could take over and actually abuse the data they have on you. MAGA 2024, anyone? I mean the whole red states/Taliban-esque "we own women's body" laws is already plenty of steps in that direction... [1] https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/texas-woman-sought-court-permission-abortion-leaves-state-105559359 https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/texas-woman-sought-c... [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9_PjdU3Mpo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9_PjdU3Mpo

FireBeyond 3y ago
> after the "Christian" Talibans made abortion illegal, location data became subpeonable to see if someone visited an abortion clinic Above and beyond that, thinking ahead to people traveling for healthcare, Missouri and a few other states are or already have enacted a crime of "conspiracy to commit abortion", which means as little as booking flights or hotel.