Google: What did you think of [insert place]?

Google Maps might be tracking you everywhere you go. Here’s how to stop it.

Photo by Z on Unsplash

What am I suggesting and why?

Google recently announced that it would no longer track visits to abortion clinics (or, at least, it would delete them soon after), but it brings up a larger privacy concern — you may have agreed to store your entire location history with Google through Google Maps without realizing it. Let’s check and turn it off if needed.

Time: 5 Minutes
Ease: Very Easy
Cost: Free

On a side note — I’m not much of an advertiser, so if you’ve been enjoying this series, would you mind sharing it with someone you think would be interested or find value in it? Thanks! You can also subscribe to the newsletter on Substack!

You in? Let’s go…

The instructions below cover how to turn this off on different platforms, but just know that once you turn it off on one platform, it’s off for your entire account. You don’t need to do this on every device!

First, let’s turn off the tracking.

1. Visit https://myactivity.google.com/activitycontrols?settings=location&utm_source=my-activity
2. Log into your Google Account if prompted.
3. Under Location History, click or tap the Turn off button. If it’s already off, skip ahead to deleting the history in case it was previously on.
4. Click or tap Pause. You will need to scroll down first. They really don’t want you to turn this off, so they make it seem like the very fabric of the universe will collapse in on itself if you stop letting Google store your location forever — dark UX pattern, do not like.

Now, let’s delete the history.

1. Visit https://myactivity.google.com/activitycontrols?settings=location&utm_source=my-activity
2. At the bottom, tap or click the link that says Manage history.
3. Follow the instructions for the device you’re using below.

On Desktop/Computer

They really hid this one well.

1. If you’re not already on the Timeline, visit http://maps.google.com/timeline
2. Look for the Trash icon. Screengrab below because it’s really hidden in there.
3. Check the box next to “I understand and want to delete all Location History.”
4. Click DELETE LOCATION HISTORY.

On Android/iPhone

Instructions are the same for both devices.

1. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner on the Timeline screen.
2. Select Settings and privacy.
3. Under the heading Location settings, tap Delete all Location History.
4. Check the box next to “I understand and want to delete.”
5. Tap Delete.

This is the Android view, but iPhone looks almost exactly the same.

Dig Deeper

I don’t have much to add to this other than storing your entire travel history in Google, or anywhere, is not a great idea. I have to admit — I’ve had this tracking on since 2013, and it does occasionally come in handy when I can’t remember where I was on a certain day or when I last visited a certain restaurant.

There are benefits to all of these services. You have to decide for yourself whether the benefits are worth sacrificing your privacy.

While it may not be exactly true that if you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product, we can at this point at least agree that if you’re not paying for the product with your money, you’re paying for it with your privacy.

Read On

• “Google says it will delete location history for visits to abortion clinics after overturning of Roe v. Wade” CNBC
• “Unredacted suit shows Google’s own engineers confused by privacy settings” Ars Technica