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The actual accuracy is worse than before but it’s a welcome change. They do still offer a way to keep an encrypted backup of the database on Google servers (so

by judge2020 2y ago

The actual accuracy is worse than before but it’s a welcome change. They do still offer a way to keep an encrypted backup of the database on Google servers (so you don’t lose it if you lose your phone) but its disabled by default and it doesn’t even have a modal popup making it easy to enable backups, you have to specifically click the UI button to see the modal with the info sheet and a button to enable backing it up.

modeless 2y ago
Thank you for posting this. I had no idea that there was a default off option to keep encrypted backups. I would be pretty mad if I lost all my years of timeline data because I switched phones. It's ridiculous that Google didn't even show an option for this in the long and needlessly convoluted migration process.
- renewiltord 2y ago
  It looks like they did the right thing since privacy advocates don't even consider that sufficiently difficult https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40959052 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40959052
  - paiute 2y ago
    Why does Google suddenly care? Location Services has never been privacy minded. Does this have to do with that 2000 mules thing?
- zo1 2y ago
  Google's handling of this "change" was disastrous. I also value my timeline data and would hate to lose it. Google's solution was to force me to acknowledge some weird dialog that had minimal information about the impact. This is beyond asinine and I don't know how they can say they gave me any informed consent on the change - the whole thing is bizarre. I took a screenshot, and left it running for a few hours while I stewed over it luckily. Then went and confirmed the "backup" of my timeline afterwards just to be sure. But who knows if this "feature" even works as before, even though it has my backups. Side note. The solution to this is not to move my data to "the device" and off their servers. The solution should have been for them to open-source the service that handles this data, and make it a configurable first-class option in their location app.
  - massivetree 2y ago
    it is outrageous invasion of privacy to keep constant tracking records of all locations over long periods of time, yet a user is outraged when they "lose" access to it?! Does a faith in personal access to data stores override any and all opaque backend practices of a massive company? like a cargo cult -- the company will return all of our precious data and we will be made whole
    - zo1 2y ago
      It's my data. I can choose to have it tracked and kept by whoever I want. Instead of ranting about privacy maybe you should work on privacy enabling tech solutions to user-needs that clearly some people have.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
epigramx 2y ago
> a welcome change Can someone explain why it's good that your official law infrastructure has no access to Google when in need? Is this some kind of bizzaro-extermist-libertarianism "government is evil" from America again?
- _zoltan_ 2y ago
  no, it has to do with people valuing privacy. that you don't doesn't mean it makes it something extreme.
- miramba 2y ago
  You would need to explain first what you mean by “no access to google“.
- konha 2y ago
  Dragnet searches are controversial in many societies, not just the US. There’s a balance between individuals rights to privacy and what makes law enforcement easier. One argument against broad surveillance measures like this one is that surveillance infrastructure is easy to implement and hard to get rid of again. You might be fine with the laws that are enforced with it today, but you might not be with what it’s used for in the future.
- ajb 2y ago
  Statistically, you can't rely on having a non-repressive government for your entire lifetime. The US has been fortunate in missing out on it for quite a while, but even then there has been HUAC and J Edgar Hoover, even if they didn't take over the whole government.
  - coldtea 2y ago
    Not just those, the goverment has been historically repressive of many minorities, using the police to do this, from blacks to native americans, labour advocates, activists, and other categories, that's not confined to the HUAC and Hoover era.
    - 2y ago
cpcallen 2y ago
Since reading this I've gone looking for the setting in Maps (on iOS) but not been able to find it. Can you tell me where it is?
- jffry 2y ago
  Maybe it's similar to the Android app. If so: 1. Open Google Maps 2. Tap my profile photo at top right 3. Pick "Your Timeline" from the menu 4. Tap the cloud icon in top navbar 5. Toggle the option to enable cloud backup
  - barroomhero 2y ago
    I'm using Android and do not have the cloud icon? Can you share a screenshot?
    - Brian_K_White 2y ago
      Screenshot would show the users current location, and would not tell you anything that the directions didn't tell you. I followed the directions in that comment and confirm that I see what is described. A cloud icon in a top nav bar, on the right side, with a slash through it in my case as backup sync is off.
      - jffry 2y ago
        Appreciate the concern, but it was easy enough to zoom the map onto an empty part of the ocean and conceal any personal info.
    - jffry 2y ago
      Sure. Here's a screenshot when I have timeline view open (zoomed onto an ocean, that's why it's all blue): https://i.imgur.com/Yx9eBIg.png https://i.imgur.com/Yx9eBIg.png The cloud had a slash through it, I tapped it and enabled the setting.
- vinay_ys 2y ago
  Google gives most privacy controls than any other major Internet company and actually works really hard to honor it. Still, you can do two things to maximize your privacy: 1. In https://myactivity.google.com/activitycontrols https://myactivity.google.com/activitycontrols, disable all activity history – everything should show "off". 2. In iOS, turn off background permission to all Google apps. (You can do this for most apps without loss in functionality). Then, turn off location permission all apps. For maps, give it location permission to "allow while using" only. This is the least intrusive you can get to. Beyond this, you can also use different google account for different google apps to minimize data mingling. Further beyond that, you can just stop using google apps.

modeless 2y ago

Thank you for posting this. I had no idea that there was a default off option to keep encrypted backups. I would be pretty mad if I lost all my years of timeline data because I switched phones. It's ridiculous that Google didn't even show an option for this in the long and needlessly convoluted migration process.

renewiltord 2y ago
It looks like they did the right thing since privacy advocates don't even consider that sufficiently difficult https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40959052 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40959052
- paiute 2y ago
  Why does Google suddenly care? Location Services has never been privacy minded. Does this have to do with that 2000 mules thing?
zo1 2y ago
Google's handling of this "change" was disastrous. I also value my timeline data and would hate to lose it. Google's solution was to force me to acknowledge some weird dialog that had minimal information about the impact. This is beyond asinine and I don't know how they can say they gave me any informed consent on the change - the whole thing is bizarre. I took a screenshot, and left it running for a few hours while I stewed over it luckily. Then went and confirmed the "backup" of my timeline afterwards just to be sure. But who knows if this "feature" even works as before, even though it has my backups. Side note. The solution to this is not to move my data to "the device" and off their servers. The solution should have been for them to open-source the service that handles this data, and make it a configurable first-class option in their location app.
- massivetree 2y ago
  it is outrageous invasion of privacy to keep constant tracking records of all locations over long periods of time, yet a user is outraged when they "lose" access to it?! Does a faith in personal access to data stores override any and all opaque backend practices of a massive company? like a cargo cult -- the company will return all of our precious data and we will be made whole
  - zo1 2y ago
    It's my data. I can choose to have it tracked and kept by whoever I want. Instead of ranting about privacy maybe you should work on privacy enabling tech solutions to user-needs that clearly some people have.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

epigramx 2y ago

> a welcome change Can someone explain why it's good that your official law infrastructure has no access to Google when in need? Is this some kind of bizzaro-extermist-libertarianism "government is evil" from America again?

_zoltan_ 2y ago
no, it has to do with people valuing privacy. that you don't doesn't mean it makes it something extreme.
miramba 2y ago
You would need to explain first what you mean by “no access to google“.
konha 2y ago
Dragnet searches are controversial in many societies, not just the US. There’s a balance between individuals rights to privacy and what makes law enforcement easier. One argument against broad surveillance measures like this one is that surveillance infrastructure is easy to implement and hard to get rid of again. You might be fine with the laws that are enforced with it today, but you might not be with what it’s used for in the future.
ajb 2y ago
Statistically, you can't rely on having a non-repressive government for your entire lifetime. The US has been fortunate in missing out on it for quite a while, but even then there has been HUAC and J Edgar Hoover, even if they didn't take over the whole government.
- coldtea 2y ago
  Not just those, the goverment has been historically repressive of many minorities, using the police to do this, from blacks to native americans, labour advocates, activists, and other categories, that's not confined to the HUAC and Hoover era.
  - 2y ago

cpcallen 2y ago

Since reading this I've gone looking for the setting in Maps (on iOS) but not been able to find it. Can you tell me where it is?

jffry 2y ago
Maybe it's similar to the Android app. If so: 1. Open Google Maps 2. Tap my profile photo at top right 3. Pick "Your Timeline" from the menu 4. Tap the cloud icon in top navbar 5. Toggle the option to enable cloud backup
- barroomhero 2y ago
  I'm using Android and do not have the cloud icon? Can you share a screenshot?
  - Brian_K_White 2y ago
    Screenshot would show the users current location, and would not tell you anything that the directions didn't tell you. I followed the directions in that comment and confirm that I see what is described. A cloud icon in a top nav bar, on the right side, with a slash through it in my case as backup sync is off.
    - jffry 2y ago
      Appreciate the concern, but it was easy enough to zoom the map onto an empty part of the ocean and conceal any personal info.
  - jffry 2y ago
    Sure. Here's a screenshot when I have timeline view open (zoomed onto an ocean, that's why it's all blue): https://i.imgur.com/Yx9eBIg.png https://i.imgur.com/Yx9eBIg.png The cloud had a slash through it, I tapped it and enabled the setting.
vinay_ys 2y ago
Google gives most privacy controls than any other major Internet company and actually works really hard to honor it. Still, you can do two things to maximize your privacy: 1. In https://myactivity.google.com/activitycontrols https://myactivity.google.com/activitycontrols, disable all activity history – everything should show "off". 2. In iOS, turn off background permission to all Google apps. (You can do this for most apps without loss in functionality). Then, turn off location permission all apps. For maps, give it location permission to "allow while using" only. This is the least intrusive you can get to. Beyond this, you can also use different google account for different google apps to minimize data mingling. Further beyond that, you can just stop using google apps.