Just discovered my phone has been tracking my every move for four years!

[Thisnamechanger]

Has anyone else stumbled across Google's location history/timeline feature? I have no idea how/when I enabled this by mistake but I just stumbled across it and I can literally see almost every train, drive and walk I've taken since 2014, broken down by day and time! It's really interesting and sort of freaky at the same time.

Thought I'd let MN know in case anyone else was in the dark like me and didn't want this info to be collected. If you Google "Google Timeline" you'll find it.

Surprised it's never come up on any of the threads about affairs, but I suppose you wouldn't know about it unless you stumbled across it randomly like I did!

I love this feature and looking back at where I have visited but yes it is freaky and a lot of information for them to hold.

We found this recently on my mum’s phone - as much as you ‘know’ your phone is doing that kind of thing, it was pretty to see it right there in front of you. If you are logged in Google will also show you all of your Google search history.

I found mine by accident too. First thing I did was turn off the location on my phone! But I have to turn in on again whenever I need to use maps.

Sometimes, if I am feeling particularly subversive, I go out without my phone, just to fool Google

Not only that but it EMAILED the timeline to an email account that I and dh SHARE! It also seems to have amalgamated our movements, so both feel stalked equally and have turned it off. Imagine the marital impact that could have had if either of us had gone anywhere more interesting than Sainsbury's.

Google knows us a lot more than we think. All those long terms and conditions which, let’s face it, you scroll to the bottom and click ‘accept’, all those little boxes you tick to give your consent, all the updates you accept. Each click and you’re allowing Google to build up a profile on you.

What kind of phone do you have? Surely this can only happen if you are constant logged in to your google account?

Mine seems to be turned off. Nothing on it.

Did those thAt have something opt in then?

Mine says "No visited places." How would I see what I've been doing? (I know I'll only see future visits.)

My dh is quite into tech he found out the other day that in Microsoft's t's &C's you agree to them listening to you on your computer. He managed to find recordings they had taken where the words computer and Google come up. Very scary indeed

I just bought a Microsoft laptop is it listening to me??

I'm on Android, it always seems to ask you to log into Google when you get a new phone - also I guess when using Google maps?

yes, I found it, quite interesting.

I got a new phone several months ago. An upgrade on my ancient ones. I got notification of my year timeline and there was a map of everywhere I'd been over the last 12 months - including the time before I owned that phone!!

Unfortunately, It's fairly inaccurate. It believes I live in the next street, often says I'm in a neighbour's garden and fair chunks of the day are regularly "missing activities". I hope I never need it to prove my whereabouts when a crime was committed; I fear it would place me where I wasn't.

Many apps and websites request location details, access to gallery, consent to make and recieve calls and access to microphone. We are being watched and listened to all the time.

Ummm - it is not just google. Just by having mobile phone, you have been tracked, and continue to be tracked. Either live with it or don't have a mobile!

I only discovered this recently when they emailed me my time line for July! Luckily I have only recently upgraded my phone and it didn't work on my old one for some reason but I wasn't too impressed!

I love it, anything like this I just find fun .

I remember finding something similar when I was uni. It gave me a “top three” locations.

They were 1) my parents’ house/my childhood home, 2) my student flat and 3) the uni library/ my departmental building were next-door to each other...

I was surprised just how boring I was!

Where would I find it? I'm on an old (5) iPhone

Surely this can only happen if you are constant logged in to your google account?

If it can't connect, it'll quietly stash the data until it can connect (depending on settings).

They were quite crafty, as by default it will only connect over wi-fi. So your suspicions aren't raised by you disappearing data allowance ...

Really delighted to find that I have not enabled Google to do this to me. But I’ll be double checking in future to make sure I don’t inadvertently turn it on.

I got a new phone several months ago. An upgrade on my ancient ones. I got notification of my year timeline and there was a map of everywhere I'd been over the last 12 months - including the time before I owned that phone!!

There are enormous data protection issues with secondhand kit spewing personal data to all and sundry. Especially cars which faithfully track your every journey.

www.theregister.co.uk/2018/08/09/connected_car_legal/

i want to look at it as i have studied it before, i can't remember how to find it. oh i have found it!

it noted i did 165 miles on Thursday, which I wasnt aware of,

In your 'my activity'list in Google there a is your location history, your activity on your phone - which apps you've used, when you logged in, how many times and how long you were on them. There is also a list of everything you've searched for using Google and all the websites you've used. There's a list of all the times you've said, 'Hey Google!' and all the times it thinks you've said that and the recordings of snippets of your conversations.
I was very at how much info it had about me. I deleted everything and have turned off all the permissions I can, as well as location services. I check those permissions and settings every time it does an update.

but it only seems to have august