ETtech Explainer: Google updates could give users more control over location data

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Google last week announced it would introduce updates to its application Google Maps that the company says will give users more control over their location data. What are the changes and why is this significant? An explainer.

What is Google planning to change?

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Google will soon bring in updates by which data of a user’s location history, which is used in the Timeline feature in Google maps, will be saved locally on their device.

Google currently stores this data on the cloud.

In the coming weeks, users will also be able to delete place-related activities from Maps, the company said. If users switch to a new device, they can opt to back up the data on the cloud.

“Your location information is personal. We are committed to keeping it safe, private and in your control,” Marlo McGriff, director of product, Google Maps, said in a blog post. “These changes will gradually roll out through the next year on Android and iOS, and you will receive a notification when this update comes to your account,” he added.

What does this mean for privacy?

The changes will give users “even more control over this important, personal information”, McGriff said.

Further, according to analysts, the move could bring an end to ‘geofence warrants’—legal tools by which law enforcement agencies are allowed to access a database to locate active mobile devices within a particular geographical area and over a specific time period.

This has long raised concerns and objections from