Google Maps Now Lets You Check How Crowded a Store is in Real Time

[campyguy]

FWIW, The Guardian posted this earlier:
https://www.theguardian.com/technol...can-google-really-tell-us-how-busy-a-place-is

 

[Karma*Police]

Do you also have a problem with traffic data gathered by your iPhone for Apple Maps? Because this works almost exactly the same way. Both are perfect examples of a useful feature created using anonymised location data.

Google doesn't anonymize the data. A Google employee could look up your record and know everywhere you've ever been, the routes you took, every search you've made, and could probably predict with a a fair amount of accuracy, where you're going next.

The people who say this isn't a big deal are extremely short-sighted and are ignoring history. It's only a matter of time before a powerful leader emerges with some bad intentions, and the amount of information he'll have access to will give him almost absolute control. That's why Snowden did what he did.

 

[Bubba Satori]

I am eagerly waiting for the "popular times to relieve yourself" feature.

At my age it's about every hour.

So 5?

Only my maturity and sense of humor.
The rest of me is a decrepit, old shell.

 

[tennisproha]

Google doesn't anonymize the data. A Google employee could look up your record and know everywhere you've ever been, the routes you took, every search you've made, and could probably predict with a a fair amount of accuracy, where you're going next.

The people who say this isn't a big deal are extremely short-sighted and are ignoring history. It's only a matter of time before a powerful leader emerges with some bad intentions, and the amount of information he'll have access to will give him almost absolute control. That's why Snowden did what he did.

Although Google does get a lot of **** for their data mining tactics, I think they do stand firm along with Apple on protecting the privacy of user data.

 

[Nick11Mac]

Freaky stuff, yet fascinating.

 

[Solomani]

By 2022, Google will be alerting all wives when their stray husbands are hooking up with the mistress, including location coordinates.

 

[kdarling]

Another reminder to turn stop using all Google products and services, as apparently they're tracking you down to the store level.

As does Apple, when we use Apple Pay:

"If you have Location Services turned on, the location of your device and the approximate date and time of the transaction may be sent anonymously to Apple." - Apple Pay Security Guide

Or when Apple wants to make money serving up an iAd:

The issue is that the majority of users have no idea that Google is tracking their every move. People are rightfully upset when they find out that every move they make is recorded by Google so Google can make more money.

And so that Google can provide more contextual assistance to the user. If you don't want it, simply go to your Google dashboard and turn it off.

They take every bit of that information and use it to market to you and your friends and family.

So do the banks. So does Apple with iAds. So do stores when they get a zip code. Or when we use a store rewards card.

It's the modern equivalent of when the general store workers knew everyone in town, what they liked, when they liked to buy it, and giving a deal on things sometimes.

If you are afraid of giving such info in return for perks, turn it all off and stop using their services.

Actually, Apple does do one noteworthy thing with the data, if you can believe their press: They don't sell it on the open market to just about anyone.

Neither does Google, nor other mainstream companies. That's why ads are served up anonymously. Ad targeting only makes continuous money if the target info is kept secret.

Too many people are so caught up in this faux Apple-Google compete thing, that they ignore the REAL threats from the hundreds of far lesser known entities who DO actually collect and do sell our info.

 

[C DM]

Google doesn't anonymize the data. A Google employee could look up your record and know everywhere you've ever been, the routes you took, every search you've made, and could probably predict with a a fair amount of accuracy, where you're going next.

The people who say this isn't a big deal are extremely short-sighted and are ignoring history. It's only a matter of time before a powerful leader emerges with some bad intentions, and the amount of information he'll have access to will give him almost absolute control. That's why Snowden did what he did.

A Google employee can just simply do that? There are no PII policies and practices in play, or anything else of the sort at Google?

 

[EdT]

A Google employee can just simply do that? There are no PII policies and practices in play, or anything else of the sort at Google?

1. Of COURSE Google has policies against doing things like that.
2. These policies are enforced with the same intensity that outlaw bribery, forbid business leaders and politicians from abusing their positions, and prevent people from getting wet when it rains.

 

[C DM]

1. Of COURSE Google has policies against doing things like that.
2. These policies are enforced with the same intensity that outlaw bribery, forbid business leaders and politicians from abusing their positions, and prevent people from getting wet when it rains.

So pretty much any or even most employees just have the administrative rights and access to such information even if they simply wanted to?

 

[crowdsourcer]

Google doesn't anonymize the data. A Google employee could look up your record and know everywhere you've ever been, the routes you took, every search you've made, and could probably predict with a a fair amount of accuracy, where you're going next.

The people who say this isn't a big deal are extremely short-sighted and are ignoring history. It's only a matter of time before a powerful leader emerges with some bad intentions, and the amount of information he'll have access to will give him almost absolute control. That's why Snowden did what he did.

I can assure you it's not like any random engineer can access personally identifiable information on users. You are almost never granted access. It also requires user's explicit consent and that debugging users' issues being part of your role. All access is audited too. You can't even access your own personal gmail.

Well, you're right that not storing any data what so ever is even a stronger guarantee but Google is trying to provide smarts and with out having context of the user it's just not possible or will be low quality. I personally am fine and think they do a better job on protecting my data than most other companies.

Note that a lot of Apple's claims on data tracking is to push their own narrative which serves their own PR.

But at the end of the day you can disable location features if you don't find the benefits worth it.

 

[Karma*Police]

So pretty much any or even most employees just have the administrative rights and access to such information even if they simply wanted to?

You missed my point entirely. Not only could a Google employee access your data, but non-Google employees as well... it's only a matter of time.

 

[C DM]

You missed my point entirely. Not only could a Google employee access your data, but non-Google employees as well... it's only a matter of time.

And that's based on what exactly?