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Your personal data will remain on your devices.
Google, owned by Alphabet Holding, has announced important changes to its Google Maps app. Now the company will not have access to the location history of users, which limits its ability to respond to requests from law enforcement agencies that require data on all persons who were near the crime scene.
As indicated in a Google blog post this week, the changes will affect the Location History feature in Google Maps. This feature, according to the company, is initially disabled, but it helps users remember where they were. According to the company, if users activate this feature, their location data will be stored directly on their devices, which will prevent Google from seeing this data, and therefore from transmitting it to law enforcement agencies upon their request.
Marlo McGriff, chief product Officer of Google Maps, emphasized in a blog post: "Your location information is personal. We strive to ensure its security, confidentiality and control by the user."
EFF lawyer Lynch noted that Google deserves recognition for this step, but pointed out that the company has long been the only technology company that responds to requests for geofence orders. "It's great that Google is taking these steps, but at the same time, no one else has collected and stored data in the way Google has," she said.
Apple, which also has a maps app, said it was technically unable to provide the type of location data that police require. However, there is another type of warrant that privacy advocates are concerned about: so-called reverse search warrants, when the police can request data from a technology company about people searching for a particular term. "Search queries can be extremely sensitive, even if you're just looking for an address," Lynch added.
Google, owned by Alphabet Holding, has announced important changes to its Google Maps app. Now the company will not have access to the location history of users, which limits its ability to respond to requests from law enforcement agencies that require data on all persons who were near the crime scene.
As indicated in a Google blog post this week, the changes will affect the Location History feature in Google Maps. This feature, according to the company, is initially disabled, but it helps users remember where they were. According to the company, if users activate this feature, their location data will be stored directly on their devices, which will prevent Google from seeing this data, and therefore from transmitting it to law enforcement agencies upon their request.
Marlo McGriff, chief product Officer of Google Maps, emphasized in a blog post: "Your location information is personal. We strive to ensure its security, confidentiality and control by the user."
EFF lawyer Lynch noted that Google deserves recognition for this step, but pointed out that the company has long been the only technology company that responds to requests for geofence orders. "It's great that Google is taking these steps, but at the same time, no one else has collected and stored data in the way Google has," she said.
Apple, which also has a maps app, said it was technically unable to provide the type of location data that police require. However, there is another type of warrant that privacy advocates are concerned about: so-called reverse search warrants, when the police can request data from a technology company about people searching for a particular term. "Search queries can be extremely sensitive, even if you're just looking for an address," Lynch added.
