Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Monday 20 august 2018

APNewsBreak: Google clarifies location-tracking policy

cording location data.
Huge tech companies are
under increasing scrutiny
over their data practices,
following a series of privacy
scandals at Facebook and
new data-privacy rules re-
cently adopted by the Eu-
ropean Union.
Last year, the business
news site Quartz found that
Google was tracking An-
droid users by collecting
the addresses of nearby
cellphone towers even if all
location services were off.
Google changed the prac-
tice and insisted it never re-
corded the data anyway.
Critics say Google’s insis-
tence on tracking its us-
ers’ locations stems from its
drive to boost advertising
revenue. It can charge ad-
vertisers more if they want
to narrow ad delivery to
people who’ve visited cer-
tain locations.
Several observers also not-
ed that Google is still bound
by a 20-year agreement
it struck with the Federal
In this Aug. 8, 2018, file photo a mobile phone displays a user’s travels using Google Maps in New York. Trade Commission in 2011.
Associated Press That consent decree re-
By RYAN NAKASHIMA “some location data may phone’s whereabouts. formation in multiple ways, quires Google to not mis-
Technology Writer be saved as part of your In a Thursday statement he said. represent to consumers
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — activity on other services, to the AP, Google said: “The notion of having two how they can protect their
Google has revised an er- like Search and Maps.” “We have been updating distinct ways in which you privacy. Google agreed to
roneous description on its Previously, the page stat- the explanatory language control how your location that order in response to an
website of how its “Location ed: “With Location History about Location History to data is stored is inherently FTC investigation of its now-
History” setting works, clari- off, the places you go are make it more consistent confusing,” he said Thurs- defunct social networking
fying that it continues to no longer stored.” and clear across our plat- day. service Google Buzz, which
track users even if they’ve The AP observed that the forms and help centers.” “I can’t think off the top of the agency accused of
disabled the setting. change occurred midday The statement contrasted my head of any major on- publicly revealing users’
The change came three Thursday, a finding con- with a statement Google line service that architect- most frequent Gmail con-
days after an Associated firmed by Internet Archive sent to the AP several days ed their location privacy tacts.
Press investigation revealed snapshots taken earlier in ago that said in part, “We settings in a similar way.” A year later, Google was
that several Google apps the day. provide clear descriptions K. Shankari, a UC Berke- fined $22.5 million for
and websites store user lo- The AP investigation found of these tools.” ley graduate researcher breaking the agreement
cation even if users have that even with Location Jonathan Mayer, a Princ- whose findings initially alert- after it served some users
turned off Location History. History turned off, Google eton computer scientist ed the AP to the issue, said of Apple’s Safari browser
Google has not changed stores user location when, and former chief technolo- Thursday the change was so-called tracking cookies
its location-tracking prac- for instance, the Google gist for the Federal Com- a “good step forward,” but in violation of settings that
tice in that regard. Maps app is opened, munications Commission’s added “they can make it were meant to prevent
But its help page for the Lo- or when users conduct enforcement bureau, said better.” For one thing, she that.
cation History setting now Google searches that the wording change was said, the page still makes no The FTC has declined to say
states: “This setting does aren’t related to location. a step in the right direction. mention of another setting whether it had begun in-
not affect other location Automated searches of the But it doesn’t fix the under- called “Web & App Activ- vestigating Google for how
services on your device.” local weather on some An- lying confusion Google cre- ity.” Turning that setting off it has described Location
It also acknowledges that droid phones also store the ated by storing location in- that would in fact stop re- History.q