All articles tagged with #web and app activity
Google will store Maps Timeline data locally on users' devices starting December 1, 2024, enhancing privacy by removing the ability to view this data on the web. This change follows updates to auto-delete controls and is part of Google's response to allegations of misleading location tracking practices. Users are encouraged to enable backups for encrypted data transfer when switching devices.
A lawsuit against Google alleges that the company's Web & App Activity (WAA) setting, which promises privacy, actually fails to provide it. The lawsuit claims that even Google CEO Sundar Pichai is confused about how the control works. The complaint argues that when the WAA setting is turned off, Google still collects users' data through backdoors provided by its Firebase Software Development Kit. Google employees have reportedly acknowledged that the WAA control is confusing and poorly understood. Google has disputed the allegations and maintains that any data gathering is adequately disclosed. The case remains ongoing, with claims under California's Comprehensive Computer Data and Access Fraud Act, invasion of privacy, and intrusion upon seclusion still pending.