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Google tracks what physical retail stores you visit[1][2] on Android phones and iPhones(if you use Google Maps app). People don't care about that, do you think

Google tracks what physical retail stores you visit[1][2] on Android phones and iPhones(if you use Google Maps app). People don't care about that, do you think really think they will care about photos? Actually, scratch that, most people don't even know that Google tracks your phone location for store visits if you use location services or Google Now. >Google cited two case studies of retailers that have been testing this metric. PetSmart’s estimated store visits data showed that 10 to 18 percent of clicks on search ads lead to a store visit. [1] http://digiday.com/platforms/google-tracking/ http://digiday.com/platforms/google-tracking/ [2] http://searchengineland.com/google-store-visits-estimated-conversions-metric-adwords-211254 http://searchengineland.com/google-store-visits-estimated-co...

dragonwriter 11y ago
> Actually, scratch that, most people don't even know that Google tracks your phone location for store visits if you use location services or Google Now. If you use Google Now, Google autorecommends locations -- including retail stores -- that you might want travel time to based on its tracking, so its pretty hard not to be aware that it is doing the tracking.
- 27182818284 11y ago
  >If you use Google Now, Google autorecommends locations -- including retail stores -- that you might want travel time to based on its tracking, so its pretty hard not to be aware that it is doing the tracking. I've noticed with that, every time it surprises someone, they call it creepy, but they don't turn it off and then get used to it. Myself included.
  - kej 11y ago
    I was creeped out at first, but then I realized that Verizon already has all the same data, and I trust Google way more than I trust Verizon.
    - morsch 11y ago
      Does Verizon also have your emails, your photos, a large sample of your browsing history, your search history, what videos you watch online -- not sure what I'm forgetting -- oh yeah, and of course the data analysis skills to interconnect all those vast amounts of data, make educated guesses about the pieces they don't have yet, and a business model that centers around it?
      - kej 11y ago
        Since I browse, search, and watch videos on my phone, they have a decent amount of that information. But where Google will correlate all of that data in order to show me advertisements, Verizon will modify my traffic to make me more trackable and then sell my data to other advertisers.

dragonwriter 11y ago

> Actually, scratch that, most people don't even know that Google tracks your phone location for store visits if you use location services or Google Now. If you use Google Now, Google autorecommends locations -- including retail stores -- that you might want travel time to based on its tracking, so its pretty hard not to be aware that it is doing the tracking.

27182818284 11y ago
>If you use Google Now, Google autorecommends locations -- including retail stores -- that you might want travel time to based on its tracking, so its pretty hard not to be aware that it is doing the tracking. I've noticed with that, every time it surprises someone, they call it creepy, but they don't turn it off and then get used to it. Myself included.
- kej 11y ago
  I was creeped out at first, but then I realized that Verizon already has all the same data, and I trust Google way more than I trust Verizon.
  - morsch 11y ago
    Does Verizon also have your emails, your photos, a large sample of your browsing history, your search history, what videos you watch online -- not sure what I'm forgetting -- oh yeah, and of course the data analysis skills to interconnect all those vast amounts of data, make educated guesses about the pieces they don't have yet, and a business model that centers around it?
    - kej 11y ago
      Since I browse, search, and watch videos on my phone, they have a decent amount of that information. But where Google will correlate all of that data in order to show me advertisements, Verizon will modify my traffic to make me more trackable and then sell my data to other advertisers.