Key Takeaways
- Google will permanently delete data on users’ previously visited locations, a move aimed at enhancing privacy.
- The company’s “timeline” feature will still function, but location data will be stored locally on users’ devices, not on Google’s servers.
- Users have until December 1 to save their old location history data before it is deleted.
- Google is reducing the default time location history is stored from 18 months to 3 months.
- The changes come amid increasing pressure on tech companies to protect users’ location privacy and data from law enforcement requests.
Strengthening Location Privacy Controls
To bolster user privacy, Google has announced plans to delete all previously stored data on users’ visited locations. This decision revealed in an email sent to Maps users, is part of the company’s commitment to reducing the amount of personal data it retains about users.
While Google’s “timeline” feature, formerly known as Location History, will remain operational for those who choose to use it, the data required to power this feature will be stored locally on users’ devices, such as phones or tablets. None of this location data will be stored on Google’s servers.
Saving and Backing Up Location History
Users have until December 1 to save their old location history data before Google permanently deletes it. The company acknowledges that some users may want to retain or sync this information across devices, and they will still have the option to back up their data manually.
However, the automatic backup and syncing of location history data across devices will no longer occur by default, further enhancing user control over their personal information.
In addition to deleting past location data, Google is also reducing the default amount of time that location history is stored. Previously, the default retention period was 18 months, but this has now been shortened to just three months. After this period, past location information will be automatically deleted.
Addressing Privacy Concerns
While Google did not cite a specific reason for these privacy-focused updates, the company acknowledged that users may want to delete location information for various reasons, such as “planning a surprise birthday party.” The tech giant also reiterated its commitment to keeping users’ location information “safe, private, and in your control.”
However, the moves likely stem from increasing pressure on tech companies to better protect users’ location privacy in the face of aggressive law enforcement efforts to obtain such data through “dragnet” surveillance requests and in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which sparked concerns about the potential criminalization of abortion-related activities based on search and location history.
