Location Tracking

Friday, Apr 19, 2024 | Last Update : 06:53 AM IST

'Location off should mean location off', Google engineers said after AP expose on tracking users

After the AP article two years ago, Google made changes to its privacy settings to make it easier for users to conceal their movements.

27 Aug 2020 2:19 PM

The app was suspended ahead of an Amnesty International report analyzing contact tracing apps from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which found that the Norwegian app was one of the most alarming for privacy because of its “live or near-live tracking of users’ locations.” The rights group said it shared its findings with authorities earlier this month and urged them to change course.

Privacy violation not justified anymore as case count drops, Norways says, ends use of COVID app

Norway currently has between 50 and 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

15 Jun 2020 9:57 PM

Google is watching and tracking you, even when you don't know it or haven't consented to it, an investigation has found.

Did you know Google is tracking your location even if you opted not to share it? Lawsuit says so

The state of Arizona is taking Google to court after an investigation found it’s impossible to stop Google from tracking your movements.

28 May 2020 5:52 PM

Associated Press reporter Zen Soo eats her lunch at the dining table at home while serving a two-week home quarantine in Hong Kong, April 17, 2020. Hong Kong issued quarantine wristbands to monitor returning residents of the city while they serve their mandatory 14-day quarantine, in a bid to curb local transmissions of COVID-19 during the pandemic. (Photo | AP)

On quarantine, wearing a government-mandated location tracker, how does it feel?

An Associated Press reporter in Hong Kong describes her experience.

20 May 2020 8:37 PM

People wear face masks as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus as they use a phone app to scan a code required to prove their health and travel status before being allowed to enter a shopping mall in Beijing. The debate on privacy protection while using such apps is especially urgent in Europe, where academics and civil liberties activists are pushing for solutions that protect personal data. Eastern nations are less likely to adhere to privacy protection norms followed in the West. (Photo | AFP)

Location tracking not allowed on apps using Google, Apple APIs but indie app Aarogya Setu does

Aarogya Setu, which runs on its own Application Program Interface or API, is not bound by international privacy protection norms

05 May 2020 8:32 PM

Individuals and parties trying to mask their identity and misrepresent themselves to be from one place while posting on Facebook from another geographical area will be found out, as their location will appear along with their posts.

Soon you can tell from Facebook posts if someone is masquerading as an Indian while being in Pakistan

Geographical location of posts will be displayed to curb misinformation spread by dubious groups or individuals pretending to be legitimate

23 Apr 2020 3:47 PM

The Aarogya Setu app alerts people if any person in their vicinity has tested positive for COVID-19. (Photo | AFP)

India's Aarogya Setu reaches 5 crore downloads in record 13 days, says Niti Aayog CEO

The more people install the coronavirus tracing app on their phones, the more effective it becomes

15 Apr 2020 9:03 PM

Existing cyber security policies on usage of mobile phones must be adhered to by army personnel while using the Aarogya Setu app, the soldiers were informed. (Photo | PTI)

Army tells personnel to follow cyber safety precautions while using Aarogya Setu app

Soldiers have been told to ensure their phones have antivirus protection

15 Apr 2020 8:29 PM

The website shows the dramatic drop in the number of users driving, walking or taking public transit as governments around the world rolled out increasingly stringent containment measures. (Photo | Ken Hawkins)

Apple website that uses maps data shows visible impact of coronavirus on movement of people

Apple said the website helps global efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 by giving insights into the movement of people to governments

15 Apr 2020 7:19 PM

Like the detection of traffic jams or traffic measurement on Google Maps, the new reports will use “aggregated, anonymised” data from users who have activated their location history. (Representative Image)

Sharing location with Google? Now it will be displayed on site to aid governments in fight against coronavirus

Reports on users’ movements in 131 countries will be published on a website and will chart movement trends by geography, a Google blog said.

03 Apr 2020 4:50 PM

A picture shows a surveillance camera in an underground passage in Moscow on January 27, 2020. - A vast and contentious network of facial-recognition cameras keeping watch over Moscow is now playing a key role in slowing the rapid spread of coronavirus in Russia. (Photo | AFP)

Privacy could become the next victim of the coronavirus as governments step up mass surveillance

Authoritarian regimes such as China use COVID-19 as a pretext to suppress independent speech and restrict fundamental rights

29 Mar 2020 12:12 PM

Apple has added a toggle for the Ultra Wide Band (UWB) chip in the new models.

Apple fixes location tracking bug in iPhone 11 chip

It was discovered that the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro were tracking location data even when the services were turned off.

20 Jan 2020 8:31 AM

Safari will try to automatically distinguish cookies that are useful from ones that are there just to track you.

Apple, Firefox tools aim to thwart Facebook, Google tracking

Apple says its tests show that some popular websites are embedded with more than 70 such trackers.

15 Sep 2018 1:13 PM

Google has not changed its location-tracking practice. (Photo: AP)

Google clarifies location-tracking policy on its website

The change came three days after it was revealed that Google apps store user location even if users have turned off Location History.

18 Aug 2018 11:09 AM

The centre lobbied the FTC to take action on Google nearly a decade ago.

Privacy group tells FTC Google tracking violated 2011 settlement

An investigation found that even with Location History turned off, Google stores user location.

18 Aug 2018 10:04 AM

While Google allows you to turn off Location History, it does not necessarily turn it off.

Google’s location tracking bothering you? Here’s how you can turn it off

The location tracking feature is crucial to a lot of apps such as cab-hailing apps, food ordering, maps, and so on.

15 Aug 2018 8:02 AM

Computer-science researchers at Princeton confirmed these findings at the AP’s request.

Google tracks your movements, like it or not: Report

Google wants to know where you go so badly that it records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to.

13 Aug 2018 8:47 PM

According to The Wall Street Journal report, saving a minute in response times can save up to 10,000 lives a year.

Google to help track exact location of 911 callers in the future

The company has been carrying out tests by gathering 911 calls and callers' location over a period of two months.

20 Feb 2018 7:42 PM

Here’s how GPS tracking device can help in daily life routine

If you already own a GPS device, you will put it to best use post you go through the top 10 uses listed.

23 Sep 2017 10:58 AM

This feature has been released on the latest Android Beta version 2.17.38. Alongside the latest beta version, a new beta version for the iOS has also been released with version name 2.16.13.

WhatsApp will now notify you about low battery

There will be a notification in case the battery level goes down during a call

30 Jan 2017 9:26 PM

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Mohan Guruswamy

location tracking