7 ms·

> users have a private relationship with Google where they elect to let Google track them and retain their information Elect to is a bit strong here. Acquiesce

> users have a private relationship with Google where they elect to let Google track them and retain their information Elect to is a bit strong here. Acquiesce to, maybe, or perhaps suffer to.

furyg3 7d ago
In this particular case (i believe) the user actively turned on the feature which saves your entire location history and journeys on Google's servers so that you can go back and review later. It was opt-in. Google has since redesigned this feature so that the history lives on the phone itself, not on their servers (removing the possibility for police officers to request this information from google - search warrant or not).
apexalpha 7d ago
You elect to buy an Android and not an Apple I suppose.
- noir_lord 7d ago
  While I'd generally agree that Apple is the better of the two on the privacy side it's still a false choice because you pretty much have to pick one as a regular person as things currently stand. It becomes harder over time to function in society without a smart phone (I know this because I barely use mine and it usually lives at home but my partner runs her life off hers).
  - apexalpha 7d ago
    I agree but it's clear why you could argue it should be elect from a legal standpoint.
    - simonwsimonw 7d ago
      [dead]
- deleted 7d ago
  [deleted]
- dns_snek 7d ago
  This style of argument is nonsense because deciding between Android and Apple has about a hundred unrelated but equally important consequences. There is no choice that aligns with all of your wishes (and rights). Privacy? Just buy Apple (largely an urban legend at this point, but regardless). Actual ownership? Just buy Android. Security? Just buy Apple (or Pixel with GrapheneOS). Repairability? Just buy one of these 4 Android models. Headphone jack? lol.
- tomrod 7d ago
  GrapheneOS for the win, here.
- gspr 7d ago
  The fact that most people in the western world have two terrible companies to choose between in order to have normal life conveniences is outrageous. (Here in Europe we actually have no choices that operate under our laws!) We need laws mandating open and interoperable interfaces and standards for all the things a modern life takes for granted: public transit, banking, digital ID, etc. Once that's in place, we can start talking about what people are "choosing". Because currently our "choice" is at best between a rock and a hard place (or as we say in my native tongue: between plague and cholera).
aftbit 7d ago
Well, nowadays, Google location history is stored on-device. Google Maps sends your position to their servers, both for geocoding and to power their traffic estimation. Even when location history was in the cloud, you could turn it off. It even asked when you opened Maps for the first time. Most people chose the default blue button to leave it on. You could also just turn off location on your phone entirely when you didn't want Google to know where you were. The tricky bit is the cell tower location. That cannot be disabled unless you go into Airplane mode or turn your phone off. Broad location (which tower are you associated with) is needed for the network to route your calls, while precise location is used for E911.

> users have a private relationship with Google where they elect to let Google track them and retain their information Elect to is a bit strong here. Acquiesce to, maybe, or perhaps suffer to.

furyg3 7d ago

In this particular case (i believe) the user actively turned on the feature which saves your entire location history and journeys on Google's servers so that you can go back and review later. It was opt-in. Google has since redesigned this feature so that the history lives on the phone itself, not on their servers (removing the possibility for police officers to request this information from google - search warrant or not).

apexalpha 7d ago

You elect to buy an Android and not an Apple I suppose.

noir_lord 7d ago
While I'd generally agree that Apple is the better of the two on the privacy side it's still a false choice because you pretty much have to pick one as a regular person as things currently stand. It becomes harder over time to function in society without a smart phone (I know this because I barely use mine and it usually lives at home but my partner runs her life off hers).
- apexalpha 7d ago
  I agree but it's clear why you could argue it should be elect from a legal standpoint.
  - simonwsimonw 7d ago
    [dead]
deleted 7d ago
[deleted]
dns_snek 7d ago
This style of argument is nonsense because deciding between Android and Apple has about a hundred unrelated but equally important consequences. There is no choice that aligns with all of your wishes (and rights). Privacy? Just buy Apple (largely an urban legend at this point, but regardless). Actual ownership? Just buy Android. Security? Just buy Apple (or Pixel with GrapheneOS). Repairability? Just buy one of these 4 Android models. Headphone jack? lol.
tomrod 7d ago
GrapheneOS for the win, here.
gspr 7d ago
The fact that most people in the western world have two terrible companies to choose between in order to have normal life conveniences is outrageous. (Here in Europe we actually have no choices that operate under our laws!) We need laws mandating open and interoperable interfaces and standards for all the things a modern life takes for granted: public transit, banking, digital ID, etc. Once that's in place, we can start talking about what people are "choosing". Because currently our "choice" is at best between a rock and a hard place (or as we say in my native tongue: between plague and cholera).

aftbit 7d ago

Well, nowadays, Google location history is stored on-device. Google Maps sends your position to their servers, both for geocoding and to power their traffic estimation. Even when location history was in the cloud, you could turn it off. It even asked when you opened Maps for the first time. Most people chose the default blue button to leave it on. You could also just turn off location on your phone entirely when you didn't want Google to know where you were. The tricky bit is the cell tower location. That cannot be disabled unless you go into Airplane mode or turn your phone off. Broad location (which tower are you associated with) is needed for the network to route your calls, while precise location is used for E911.