Modern technology has a lot of advantages, but there are also certain caveats. For instance, our cell phones allow us to access all kinds of information anywhere, but having that cell phone as a constant companion also means you’re easier to track wherever you go.
Sadly, it turns out that Google has been doing exactly that – using your smartphone to track your movements. The company has a program which uses red dots to mark your location on a map, as well as everywhere you’ve been. This makes it pretty easy to trace your movements.
Don’t believe it? See for yourself. Just log into the same Google account you use on your smartphone and follow this link (https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0). You can view records of all the places you’ve been (with your phone, at least) for the past month or so. Most unstintingly, it seems that this information is being collected and stored by Google regardless of your privacy settings.
Luckily, there is a way to minimize the amount of tracking using the steps below.
How to disable Google’s tracking feature and erase your previous history
To see if your location history is enabled on your account, go to Google Maps Location History page and click the gear icon to pull up your History settings. Here, you can enable or disable the service, although disabling it does not erase previously recorded history.
In order to erase the locations that Google Maps has stored for the past 30 days, you need to go to the Location History page again. The default time period is usually set to the current day, so you’ll need to use a pull-down menu to show your history for up to 30 days. From here, you’ll see an option to delete your history, either for the time period you’ve chosen or all of it.
Be sure to SHARE this information with your family and friends.
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