Google is known to be a repository of all the data that defines you, whether it is your audio clips, or your location, or your search history. Google monitors anything and everything that comes under the purview of your internet activity. Naturally, being so closely scrutinized would make any person uncomfortable. It makes one feel absolutely naked and vulnerable to know that someone could just fetch all your information using a couple of leads. Furthermore, they could be a physical threat since they can even access your location!
You may think that by turning off Google’s location tracking, you could ensure that at least your location is not out there. However, according to recent reports, even on manually disabling the location tracking, other Google apps (like Weather, Google Maps, etc.) locally store and retain the information pertaining to your whereabouts, which may later be used by Google. This means that you would have to pore over every possible app, to which you have given location access, and turn it off manually! That could be a rather tiring and tedious process.
On the other hand, you could permanently disable location tracking using the following steps:
Turn Off Location Tracking on Android
- Enter your phone Settings.
- Click on “Google,” select “Google Account” and tap on “Data & Personalization.”
- Tap on “Web & App Activity” to toggle this option off
Turn Off Location Tracking on Desktop
- Open Google in a new tab on your browser.
- Sign into your Google account and click on your profile. Select the “Google Account” option from the drop-down menu.
- Click on “Personal info & Privacy” and head over to “My Activity.”
- Click on Activity Controls. It will be located on the toolbar on the left.
- Select “Web & App Activity” to toggle the switch off.
- Ensure that “Location History” is also off.
Turn Off Location Tracking on iOS
You cannot directly disable the settings from your iOS device. To turn off the location tracking, you will have to do it from the desktop. Hence, get your system and carry out the steps mentioned above to permanently disable the tracking feature.
NOTE: Remember, turning off location sharing could impose certain restrictions on some apps, which will result in their poor performance.
Carl Smith is a self-professed security expert; he has been making the people aware of the security threats. His passion is to write about Cyber security, cryptography, malware, social engineering, internet and new media. He writes for Norton security products at norton.com/setup.
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