Google Maps Your Timeline feature rolls out

[HEXUS]

Your Timeline shows where you've been and can integrate with Google Photos.

Read more.

[Saracen]

... Remembering that you must have opted in to store your Location History with Google ...

Okaaaay.

If you spot Satan in a sports shop buying skis and an ice hammer, you might suspect I've done that.

Personally, if you find me sharing even the time of day with Google, call in men in white coats and reserve me a nice secure room with padded walls.

[aidanjt]

If you spot Satan in a sports shop buying skis and an ice hammer, you might suspect I've done that.

Thank you for that wonderful visual.

[ik9000]

Okaaaay.

If you spot Satan in a sports shop buying skis and an ice hammer, you might suspect I've done that.

Personally, if you find me sharing even the time of day with Google, call in men in white coats and reserve me a nice secure room with padded walls.

I saw this and thought it would probably get a frosty reception from you Saracen! I'm with you on this. I really don't want them logging this kind of stuff. What benefit does this possibly offer? Even with teenage children I'm not sure I'd want to stalk them. If you don;t give them trust and freedom you'll stifle them and harm them more than any protection you thought you were providing. In all other cases WTF would this be a good idea? What kind of stalking weirdo wants to know where someone is, has been and when in this level of detail? I got rid of facebook because of the mundane crap people kept spouting about day-to-day events. This just takes it to another level. The only people who might be able to make use of this are burglars and the security services. Hardly to the benefit of the user.

[TAKTAK]

I suppose i'm one of the few who quite likes it; it provides me with a less intrusive (time-wise) method of capturing metrics for my life...

I can measure deviations in commute time and tally them up with particular events. E.g. if I've been at a gig venue, i'll have had less sleep that night, which shows up as a time delta from the average. From that I can determine whether I actually need to anticipate more of an energy jolt to kick in past the 10 mile or so mark of cycling, from that I can decide whether to pack a banana.

It shows me the frequency of venue visits, which in turn I can extrapolate to anticipated future expenditure based upon the popularity of my kind-of music in the local area. It also highlights seasonal disparity of activities and gives easy access to information about how long it has been since last visiting people/doing certain activities.

Data, glorious data...

[ik9000]

I suppose i'm one of the few who quite likes it; it provides me with a less intrusive (time-wise) method of capturing metrics for my life...

I can measure deviations in commute time and tally them up with particular events. E.g. if I've been at a gig venue, i'll have had less sleep that night, which shows up as a time delta from the average. From that I can determine whether I actually need to anticipate more of an energy jolt to kick in past the 10 mile or so mark of cycling, from that I can decide whether to pack a banana.

It shows me the frequency of venue visits, which in turn I can extrapolate to anticipated future expenditure based upon the popularity of my kind-of music in the local area. It also highlights seasonal disparity of activities and gives easy access to information about how long it has been since last visiting people/doing certain activities.

Data, glorious data...

ooh - interesting. I could use it selectively to record the persistent lateness of my commuter train.

[TaintedShirt]

I'm with you on this. I really don't want them logging this kind of stuff.

Eh, they've been logging this for years. So have all mobile phone companies, maybe not in quite so much detail but they have it. Google have given you an interface that you can now deal with what they have, delete what you want or you can also opt out of it too. Have Apple done this, T-mobile, Vodafone etc?

What kind of stalking weirdo wants to know where someone is, has been and when in this level of detail? I got rid of facebook because of the mundane crap people kept spouting about day-to-day events. This just takes it to another level. The only people who might be able to make use of this are burglars and the security services. Hardly to the benefit of the user.

From the article.

Your Timeline feature "is private and visible only to you; and you control the locations you choose to keep."

This is for you to track your own travels. Google uses it for many reasons, eg traffic on maps, (apps like waze use it too), location based reminders, Google now uses it, and of course we'll most likely start to get location specific advertising all too soon.

I'm no google fan boy, I do love android but I also like my privacy. However, Google haven't just gone and turned some data collection on. They are letting you see what they have been collecting for years or since you opted in.

As for me, I would like the option to have this information removed from all companies, I would like to see all these companies come forward and give me the choice. Google has now allowed me the choice, for that I am glad.

This may be of interest.