After Roe vs. Wade was overturned and state abortion bans went into effect, Google announced a new policy to preserve user privacy: visits to abortion clinics and other sensitive medical institutions are now automatically removed from a location history. Within the upcoming weeks, it will begin to take action.
Google is making at least one move to reduce some potential harm associated with location monitoring as concerns grow over the limitless stream of data that internet giants have built an entire business around.
Only individuals who are logged into a Google Account and have enabled Location History-which is disabled by default-are impacted by the change. According to a blog post by the firm, Google's auto-delete policy extends beyond abortion clinics to cover visits to domestic abuse shelters, drug rehab centers, and cosmetic surgery offices. Future national privacy regulations may one day protect users' location data, but Google isn't standing around for a congressional fix.
Although Google states that its location history feature is disabled by default for users of its services, it's always prudent to confirm what private information you are actively providing with tech industry data brokers, especially in this day and age.
Google said that there will soon be a simpler way to "remove numerous records at once," as it is presently necessary for Fitbit customers who use the device's companion app as a period tracker to do it individually.
The tech corporation has changed its policy to allay worries that state anti-abortion laws could encourage prosecutors and other parties to use private information, such as Google searches on abortion, as criminal evidence. Privacy experts are concerned that law enforcement will force app producers to turn over user data, such as that from a period-tracking app, that could indicate an abortion has occurred.
Some U.S. senators asked Apple and Google to stop collecting app data that could identify abortion seekers because of concern that data miners could siphon data to give to prosecutors or vigilantes.
By following Google's instructions, users can manually remove their Location History. It should be noted that disabling Location History does not erase prior activities; instead, manual deletion is required. Other Google products and services, such as Search and Maps, might still record your location information even after you switch off Location History.
According to Patrick McGee of the Financial Times, Apple's Maps app takes a different approach to privacy dubbed "Location Fuzzing," whereby 24 hours after a location search, Maps changes it to a less precise one.
Additionally, Apple does not keep track of searches made or locations visited, and each time you launch the Maps app, a new randomly generated ID is generated and associated with the data that the app has collected while in use. End-to-end encryption is used for all personal location information transferred between devices, including Significant Locations.
