INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Four days after admitting that it continues to track users even after the Location History tracking has been disabled, Google has updated
its website to more accurately reflect the nature of its location policy.
This setting does not affect other location services on your
device, like Google Location Services and Find My Device,& the updated Google Account Help page now reads
&Some location data may be saved as part of your activity on other services, like Search and Maps
When you turn off Location History for your Google Account, it off for all devices associated with that Google Account.
The update was noted
by the Associated Press, which first brought the tracking issue to light earlier this week in a report
Google initially denied its own inaccurate reporting, but later backtracked, adding that it had added clarifying language
The company told TechCrunch earlier this week,
Location History is a Google product that is entirely opt in, and users have the controls
to edit, delete, or turn it off at any time
As the story notes, we make sure Location History users know that when they disable the product, we continue to use location to improve the
Google experience when they do things like perform a Google search or use Google for driving directions.
Google further clarified that it
had tweaked the language to offer more insight into continued tracking
The company told AP, &We have been updating the explanatory language about Location History to make it more consistent and clear across our
platforms and help centers.
Of course, fixing the language on a Help page isn''t the same as addressing the issue of continued tracking
Nor does it fully clarify the company tracking policy
And let be honest, most users will never see the Help page with that information listed
Transparency on the issues goes a long way when it comes to maintaining consumer trust
