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If you carry an Android phone or an iPhone, Google knows where you are. Many Google services on Android and the Apple iPhone track your location.
Some Google Apps will store a time-stamped history of your location without your permission. Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG), Google’s owner, will track your movement even after you tell it not to.
Attempting to keep Google from tracking your movements is hard. This is true even if you tell an Android phone, for example, to pause its location history. What most people don’t know is that many Google searches automatically report your precise location to Alphabet.
Worst of all, Alphabet lets advertisers track you through both Android and Apple phones. Google Marketing demonstrated an app that lets store owners track customers in July. Moreover, the app tells the merchant you are in the store and what you are searching for.
Keep Google From Tracking Your Movements On An Android Phone (Part 1)
Fortunately, it is possible to keep advertisers and Google from tracking your movements. Here is how to turn off the tracking in an Android device.
- Access Google Maps or the weather
- Go to Settings
- Select Google
- Tap on Google Account
- Choose Data & Personalization
- Tap on Web & App Activity
- Turn off Web & App Activity
Keep Google From Tracking Your Movements On An Android Phone (Part 2)
Unfortunately, that is just the first part of the process. You must turn off another feature called “Location History” to keep Google from tracking your movements. Here is how to turn off that specific feature on your Android Phone:
- Go to settings
- Select Google Maps
- Go to Data & Personalization
- Turn the Location History off
- Additionally, make sure you turn the Location History off for every device you access your Google Account with. Furthermore, this would include your phone, your personal computer, your tablet, and your computer at work.
Be careful because Alphabet can track you through any device you use to access Gmail, Chrome, YouTube, Google Play, Google Pay, or any other Google service or app.
Keep Google From Tracking Your Movements On Apple Devices
The bad news is that Alphabet can also track you through Apple devices such as iPhones. Nevertheless, the good news is that you can still keep Google from tracking your movements on all of these Apple devices.
In particular, here is how to turn Google tracking off in all Apple devices.
- Follow this link to the Google activity control page. Go there because Google and Android use a different operating system than Apple.
- Turn the Web & App Activity off.
- Turn the Location History Off.
You must do this if you access any Alphabet-owned service through an Apple phone, tablet, computer, watch, or TV set. Such services include Google, YouTube, Gmail, Google Pay, and Google Shopping.
In addition, a recent Guardian article has offered more tips on how to keep Google from tracking your movements.
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Tracking Your Movements Is Big Business
Alphabet is tracking your movements because it can sell the data for big money. In fact, selling personal data is a huge new growth field. The numbers are staggering and there are billions on the line.
“Personal data is the oil of 21st Century,” German entrepreneur Dr. Christian Lange said. Lange should know as he has set up two companies that make money by tracking consumers. The companies then sell the data to big companies like General Motors and Procter & Gamble.
In short, your privacy is dead because big business makes money by tracking you. If you want privacy, you should learn the best ways to keep big companies like Alphabet from extracting your personal information out of every device that you own.
You may also enjoy reading an additional Off The Grid News article: How To Stop Windows 10 From Tracking Your Every Move
Or download our free 47-page report that details the coming of the great American surveillance state: Surveillance Nation
