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Perhaps not yet but they have amassed all the data the author describes and much more. For example, I just drove half way across the UK. Google knows that beca

Perhaps not yet but they have amassed all the data the author describes and much more. For example, I just drove half way across the UK. Google knows that because I was using Google maps. I stopped at Pizza Hut. Google knows that. I stopped at a BP garage. Google knows that. I searched for houses in an area in the UK via right move. Google knows that because the embedded map knows my Google cookie... And so forth... Now I'm not saying they have done any evil but perhaps it's fair to consider that the past doesn't always hold true in the future and by then you've already hung yourself. Edit: why down vote facts? Someone work at Google?

mynameisvlad 12y ago
Google doesn't specifically know you stopped at Pizza Hut or the BP garage. It uses coarse location (GPS being too taxing on battery to get constant location updates) which has an accuracy of 100+ meters. So it would know you stopped somewhere around the Pizza Hut, but not specifically that you went inside. Could have just as easily gone to the Tesco next door.
- nick_riviera 12y ago
  Actually yes it does know I stopped at both of those location. 1. The BP garage has a wireless AP with a known SSID to them. Location services uses this, the cell network and the GPS to build an accurate location. There are no other wireless networks at that location. I was at this location for around 10 minutes. Google location history shows this location on the mark. 2. They know that I was at the Pizza hut because I left a review in Google+ and was approximately near it at the time and stayed in roughly the same location for about 90 minutes. Google location history shows this location on the mark. It's all about correlating events and data, not specifically accurate bits of data. Granted these are all assumptions but they would stand as evidence in a court of law. Now I'm not fussed about this myself as it's something I trade for the service, but the data is there.
  - scoot 12y ago
    Besides which, consumer GPS has a resolution down to 3M, 95th percentile - not 100M [1]. [1] http://www.gps.gov/technical/ps/2008-SPS-performance-standard.pdf http://www.gps.gov/technical/ps/2008-SPS-performance-standar...
    - e12e 12y ago
      I don't agree with gp's dismissal, but the point about gps and coarse location was that continuously updating gps (for full 3m resolution) would be too taxing on the batteries -- not that gps resolution was poor. Don't think that applies if parent was using google maps to navigate, though -- how useful would navigation be without correct and updated position? Not to mention wi-fi location, correlation with plus posts/check-ins etc...
  - mynameisvlad 12y ago
    You didn't explain how they knew about the PH/BP, which makes people assume it was due to location data (like your first example). However, as for comment #1, Google doesn't use the SSIDs to determine locations on mobile, they use the [MAC Addresses](http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en//googleblogs/pdfs/google_submission_dpas_wifi_collection.pdf http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en/...). They do have a database that also includes SSIDs for these MAC addresses, but there could be a dozen SSIDs around you at any given time, and you could be at any one of those businesses. I have already explained that Google uses coarse location to determine your location, not fine because of battery issues (and you can check this in Android, it's listed under the lower-power location use). Coarse doesn't use GPS, and its accuracy is generally 100+ meters because of this. It will know the general area you were at (and, no, it won't know you were there for 10 minutes, as it only picks up your location at fixed intervals which IIRC is above 10 minutes), but it won't know, specifically, where you were in that area. I will concede on the Pizza Hut location, but it would have only known you were there because of the review, not because of the location (for the same reason as above).
    - nick_riviera 12y ago
- threeseed 12y ago
  I am really confused here. Why would Google Maps not use GPS at its highest resolution ?
  - nevi-me 12y ago
    Because in this instance, the argument/discussion is about the phone specifically, not Google Maps. When my phone is on stand-by, like when I'm driving and not using the GPS, the phone will rely on less battery-taxing things like triangulation, Wi-Fi AP's that Google knows (MAC/SSID ?). Google Maps would however use GPS when it is on, not when the user hasn't specifically turned it on.
    - threeseed 12y ago
      > I just drove half way across the UK. Google knows that because I was using Google maps. I think you're a little confused.
      - nevi-me 12y ago
        > I think you're a little confused. It's you who's confused (as you said previously, no offence). The post you replied to talked about "I just drove half way across the UK. Google knows that because I was using Google maps", and the mention of not using highest resolution is about Google (not Maps) using other means to determine location. Clear difference between Google Maps and Google. Silly technicalities, don't know what the downvote was for, was only trying to help your initial confusion :)
  - Jach 12y ago
    No kidding, any Maps user can see their GPS location being collected when they use Maps. I think mynameisvlad may mean they wouldn't necessarily know if you stopped at a specific place as part of the location data collected when you're not using Maps, because in that case it may not use GPS. But I have a nice phone, battery life isn't really a concern to me, some software on the phone probably knows that too, and I don't trust the word of a random person on HN that the software wouldn't do an opportunistic GPS look up at least every now and then. In any case I want my phone to use GPS whenever it can so that it's as accurate as it can be, that's why I have in my settings GPS always enabled, with high accuracy (uses GPS, wi-fi, and mobile networks) and indeed I have Google Location Reporting on as well which looks up my location throughout the day whether or not I'm using Maps.
- hrjet 12y ago
  > [Google] uses coarse location (GPS being too taxing on battery to get constant location updates) which has an accuracy of 100+ meters. You mean Google Maps -- the app -- doesn't use location data from GPS? I am pretty sure that isn't true. If you meant Google Maps -- the service -- then the sentence doesn't make much sense, since it doesn't use any location service on the mobile directly. It is just interfacing with the mobile app over a network.
  - mynameisvlad 12y ago
    No I mean Google, the company. Specifically, Google pings your location at intervals (building their Location history, linked above). For this specific use (which isn't tied to Google Maps), it's done through the Google Play Services, which, under the Location setting on your phone is listed as "Low battery use". This indicates that it is not using the GPS chip, but relying only on WiFi and Cell tower triangulation.
- IvyMike 12y ago
  If you have an android phone you may want to check out your location history: https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0 https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0 Certainly far better than 100 meters in my case.
  - pwnna 12y ago
    This is by far one of the creepiest things I've seen.
    - TeMPOraL 12y ago
      Also one of the most useful. Funny thing though - Google could easily blow all those Endomondo et al. "share my running" apps out of the water by just allowing to publicly share a time-delimited subset of your location history...
  - mynameisvlad 12y ago
    I think 100m is the best they can guarantee. You may get better results based on the data they have in your area (especially WiFi triangulation), but it's not guaranteed. In any case, the best they have for me is: http://imgur.com/vVbqSvr http://imgur.com/vVbqSvr which is coarse enough to not actually provide much data. I could have been to any one of a dozen or so businesses in that area.
    - IvyMike 12y ago
      We all know it was Tim Hortons.

mynameisvlad 12y ago

Google doesn't specifically know you stopped at Pizza Hut or the BP garage. It uses coarse location (GPS being too taxing on battery to get constant location updates) which has an accuracy of 100+ meters. So it would know you stopped somewhere around the Pizza Hut, but not specifically that you went inside. Could have just as easily gone to the Tesco next door.

nick_riviera 12y ago
Actually yes it does know I stopped at both of those location. 1. The BP garage has a wireless AP with a known SSID to them. Location services uses this, the cell network and the GPS to build an accurate location. There are no other wireless networks at that location. I was at this location for around 10 minutes. Google location history shows this location on the mark. 2. They know that I was at the Pizza hut because I left a review in Google+ and was approximately near it at the time and stayed in roughly the same location for about 90 minutes. Google location history shows this location on the mark. It's all about correlating events and data, not specifically accurate bits of data. Granted these are all assumptions but they would stand as evidence in a court of law. Now I'm not fussed about this myself as it's something I trade for the service, but the data is there.
- scoot 12y ago
  Besides which, consumer GPS has a resolution down to 3M, 95th percentile - not 100M [1]. [1] http://www.gps.gov/technical/ps/2008-SPS-performance-standard.pdf http://www.gps.gov/technical/ps/2008-SPS-performance-standar...
  - e12e 12y ago
    I don't agree with gp's dismissal, but the point about gps and coarse location was that continuously updating gps (for full 3m resolution) would be too taxing on the batteries -- not that gps resolution was poor. Don't think that applies if parent was using google maps to navigate, though -- how useful would navigation be without correct and updated position? Not to mention wi-fi location, correlation with plus posts/check-ins etc...
- mynameisvlad 12y ago
  You didn't explain how they knew about the PH/BP, which makes people assume it was due to location data (like your first example). However, as for comment #1, Google doesn't use the SSIDs to determine locations on mobile, they use the [MAC Addresses](http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en//googleblogs/pdfs/google_submission_dpas_wifi_collection.pdf http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en/...). They do have a database that also includes SSIDs for these MAC addresses, but there could be a dozen SSIDs around you at any given time, and you could be at any one of those businesses. I have already explained that Google uses coarse location to determine your location, not fine because of battery issues (and you can check this in Android, it's listed under the lower-power location use). Coarse doesn't use GPS, and its accuracy is generally 100+ meters because of this. It will know the general area you were at (and, no, it won't know you were there for 10 minutes, as it only picks up your location at fixed intervals which IIRC is above 10 minutes), but it won't know, specifically, where you were in that area. I will concede on the Pizza Hut location, but it would have only known you were there because of the review, not because of the location (for the same reason as above).
  - nick_riviera 12y ago
threeseed 12y ago
I am really confused here. Why would Google Maps not use GPS at its highest resolution ?
- nevi-me 12y ago
  Because in this instance, the argument/discussion is about the phone specifically, not Google Maps. When my phone is on stand-by, like when I'm driving and not using the GPS, the phone will rely on less battery-taxing things like triangulation, Wi-Fi AP's that Google knows (MAC/SSID ?). Google Maps would however use GPS when it is on, not when the user hasn't specifically turned it on.
  - threeseed 12y ago
    > I just drove half way across the UK. Google knows that because I was using Google maps. I think you're a little confused.
    - nevi-me 12y ago
      > I think you're a little confused. It's you who's confused (as you said previously, no offence). The post you replied to talked about "I just drove half way across the UK. Google knows that because I was using Google maps", and the mention of not using highest resolution is about Google (not Maps) using other means to determine location. Clear difference between Google Maps and Google. Silly technicalities, don't know what the downvote was for, was only trying to help your initial confusion :)
- Jach 12y ago
  No kidding, any Maps user can see their GPS location being collected when they use Maps. I think mynameisvlad may mean they wouldn't necessarily know if you stopped at a specific place as part of the location data collected when you're not using Maps, because in that case it may not use GPS. But I have a nice phone, battery life isn't really a concern to me, some software on the phone probably knows that too, and I don't trust the word of a random person on HN that the software wouldn't do an opportunistic GPS look up at least every now and then. In any case I want my phone to use GPS whenever it can so that it's as accurate as it can be, that's why I have in my settings GPS always enabled, with high accuracy (uses GPS, wi-fi, and mobile networks) and indeed I have Google Location Reporting on as well which looks up my location throughout the day whether or not I'm using Maps.
hrjet 12y ago
> [Google] uses coarse location (GPS being too taxing on battery to get constant location updates) which has an accuracy of 100+ meters. You mean Google Maps -- the app -- doesn't use location data from GPS? I am pretty sure that isn't true. If you meant Google Maps -- the service -- then the sentence doesn't make much sense, since it doesn't use any location service on the mobile directly. It is just interfacing with the mobile app over a network.
- mynameisvlad 12y ago
  No I mean Google, the company. Specifically, Google pings your location at intervals (building their Location history, linked above). For this specific use (which isn't tied to Google Maps), it's done through the Google Play Services, which, under the Location setting on your phone is listed as "Low battery use". This indicates that it is not using the GPS chip, but relying only on WiFi and Cell tower triangulation.
IvyMike 12y ago
If you have an android phone you may want to check out your location history: https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0 https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0 Certainly far better than 100 meters in my case.
- pwnna 12y ago
  This is by far one of the creepiest things I've seen.
  - TeMPOraL 12y ago
    Also one of the most useful. Funny thing though - Google could easily blow all those Endomondo et al. "share my running" apps out of the water by just allowing to publicly share a time-delimited subset of your location history...
- mynameisvlad 12y ago
  I think 100m is the best they can guarantee. You may get better results based on the data they have in your area (especially WiFi triangulation), but it's not guaranteed. In any case, the best they have for me is: http://imgur.com/vVbqSvr http://imgur.com/vVbqSvr which is coarse enough to not actually provide much data. I could have been to any one of a dozen or so businesses in that area.
  - IvyMike 12y ago
    We all know it was Tim Hortons.