Google may have a hidden google map that tracks your every move. For millions of users, the tracker highlights your real-world movements — but it can be turned off if you know-how.
It’s possible that Google is tracking your movements without your knowledge. This is all connected to a system known as Google Location History. It’s an account-wide service that uses your smartphone to track your movements.
You must be signed in to a Google account and have Location History and Location Reporting turned on for it to work properly.
It’s meant to be useful: if Google knows where you’ve been, it can provide better service.
This means you’ll be able to get more detailed commute advice, recommendations based on other places you’ve visited, and ads that are more relevant to you.
But it’s fair to say that many of us don’t want Google to keep track of our every move.
When it comes to storing details about where you’ve been online, there are significant privacy risks.
Because of this privacy tradeoff, Google Location History is disabled by default and can only be enabled with your permission.
However, it is common for users to inadvertently enable Google Location History via Google Maps.
Importantly, you may be unaware of what you’ve agreed to.
How to View Google Maps Location History
There are several methods for viewing your Google Location History.
The quickest and easiest way is to simply click on this link to the Google Maps Timeline:
This will show you where you’ve been on any given day.
It can even track your modes of transportation as well as the times you spent at specific locations.
If you’re using the Google Maps app, select Your Timeline from the menu.
If you’ve had Google Location History turned on without realizing it for several years, you might be surprised by the results.
It can be very creepy to discover that Google is hosting an extremely detailed map tracking years of your real-world movements.
Fortunately, the feature can be disabled.
How to Disable Google Location History
You have the option to disable Google Location History at any time.
To turn it off please visit this page.
However, in order to truly stop Google from tracking you, you must also disable Web & Activity Tracking.